Strips of Truth
by Averie Elisabeth
Summary: Edward goes to his friends strip club to practice his two favorite hobbies: getting girls and annoying waitress Bella Swan. Edward thinks Bella is no different from the other hookers, but is there more to her then he thinks. CHPTRS 1-6 UNDER REWRITE AH
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Just going to start by saying thanks for giving this a try =] I'm kind of excited about starting so I'll make this quick:**

**This is my first fanfic so reviews are appreciated (and inspirational). **

**And a special thanks to my beta MrsEmmettCullen27, for without her the story never would have actually made it onto the internet and the story would have so many grammar errors it would be illegible. **

**Without further delay, enjoy! (I hope):**

* * *

I stared into sparkling green eyes and felt my heart swell. The beautiful green eyes of the one person in the world, the one person that I would give everything to. The eyes that stared into the soul, the essence of whole world.

"Mommy, puhh-leaseee!" Ava whined.

My eyes moved from her hopeful eyes down to her lips, pushed out into her "puppy dog" pout. When I didn't say anything immediately she pushed her hands together and laced her fingers together.

Adorable.

"Alright, just one," As soon as the words left my mouth she jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen of our apartment. I followed behind her and watched and she climbed up onto the bar stool, using the counter to steady the swivel of the seat, and grabbed her Tootsie Roll jar. I went over grabbing my phone off the charger. I patted her head and she unwrapped her candy and she looked up at me beaming.

"Come on baby, we're going to be late." She climbed off the chair and ran, putting on her kid sized pink Uggs; courtesy of Alice. I grabbed my bag, and used my phone to call Alice as I ushered Ava down the stairs and into the lobby.

As Ava ran over to Mike, the doorman, I called Alice.

"Davey stop, what did we talk about? No eating markers! I don't care if they smell good-"

"Alice?"

"Sorry Bella hold on. Just go wash your mouth! Hey, you on your way?"

"Yup. We're on our way out." I moved the phone to one hand as I checked my purse for the medical files of the new kids. Alice and I own a daycare that's stationed in a classroom we rent out in the local elementary school. We have about 10 kids and while it's not a lot, it's a handful for one person. We take turns, I run it during the day while she does her day job. She's a personal shopper for the local "rich-bitch" mall, where all the rich housewives spend their days buying clothes that cost more than entire wardrobe. It's the perfect job for her because she gets to satisfy her shopaholic-induced cravings, while not actually having to spend. She memorizes hundreds of brands and has to rememorize all the perks of the different designs. She complains that she has to remember more lines than Julia Roberts. I swear soon I'm going to have to send to her a clinic for obsessive shopping; then all she'll have to remember is, "I'm Alice Brandon, and I'm a shopaholic." She actually gets paid to do it, and gets store discounts. Plus she gets to leave her four-year-old son Davey at the daycare with me. All in all, I wish I were as lucky.

I have another job as well, just something to make ends meet. Thought unlike Alice, mine is at night and I get off at about one in the morning. Which is why Alice and I trade. She runs the daycare at night and I get to leave Ava there while I work.

"I don't have a client until noon, so I can stay for a little bit." I moved my phone from my ear and saw it was seven forty-five and we had to be there by eight. Whenever Alice doesn't have a client she stays to help out.

"Okay, we're heading out the door."

"Later."

I walked up to Ava and Mike and smiled as I heard her animatedly telling him about something she saw on T.V. Mike was a kid twenty-one who was working as a doorman during the day to help pay for school. He was a sweet kid; with boyish good looks, and looked liked a typical California boy with his blonde hair and baby blue eyes. He adored Ava, which was good because she loved to talk. While she was picky about who she liked, but she seemed to take to him right away, which I could only assume meant he was genuine. After spending all day with kids, I've learned that they have this sense; Alice calls it the "Ass Radar". They just seem to know when someone is good…or an ass.

"Come Ava, Aunt Alice is waiting and Davey just got those new Legos remember?"

She gasped loudly and waved to Mike as she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door chanting, "Come on, come on, come on." I smiled at Mike and he tipped his uniform hat as I passed.

We got to the school in about ten minutes, Ava bouncing the whole time. I parked and brought Ava inside, stopping at the end of the hall to grab the mail from our mailbox.

"Ugh!" Ava grunted, frustrated with my slow pace. She ran down the hall as fast as she could, missing the door, stopping short and running backward as opposed to turning around before she burst through the door. I shook my head and walked down the hall.

"Where's your mom baby?" I heard Alice asking as I walked through to see Ava pulling off her shoes.

"Always two steps behind. That never made any sense until I had kids."

"You have a girl."

"So?"

"So shut up."

I laughed at Alice. She loved her son more than _anything_ in the world, but she often talked of his high energy. Though her parents felt no sympathy for her, "Like mother, like son." I had to agree, and Alice admitted on several (usually drunk) occasions that she understood her parent's complaints now.

I sat down next her and she slid my coffee mug across the table. We were sitting in the makeshift kitchen, which consisted of cabinets used to keep some snacks for in between lunch, a mini-fridge for water and juice boxes, and a table with chairs. I noted that we probably looked ridiculous sitting in the baby chairs at the short table.

"Thanks." I drank my coffee as she drank her tea, for the last thing Alice needed was coffee. She was constantly hyper and alert, which was good, because otherwise Davey would run amuck.

We sat and watched the kids for a few minutes before Alice interrupted the silence, "White dress, white Prada heels."

I looked at her and quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Their wedding, Ava's going to have a big white dress, and white Prada shoes." I smiled and looked back at them, sitting on the floor with the Legos. Ava had just run out and Davey took the one off the top of his and stuck atop her tower. She thanked him and they went to get the Lego people. I think Alice was right. The first time Alice had said that they would get married was something I'd never forget.

It was Ava's first day of nursery; this was before we'd opened the daycare, before I got my night job, and before I'd even met Alice. I had just started working as a sales girl at Macy's, and dropping her off was killing me. I walked her in and she was huddled to my side, sucking her thumb, something she only did when she was nervous. She was two at the time, and I was afraid she would be shy and introverted like I was growing up. I didn't make many friends that way, and spent countless Friday nights alone. That's probably why I made such an obvious mistake.

I hugged and kissed Ava and she went off onto the rug and grabbed some Legos. I noticed the rug was least populated area, harboring only one other little boy. The boy had black hair and piercing blue eyes, which were focused intensely on his Lego tower. I had to admit, for a preschooler the kid could kick my ass in a Lego building contest.

I walked to the other side of the room where parents were allowed to observe for a little while in case one of the little ones freaked out on the first day. I watched as Ava built a tower, sitting in her typical position, butt down, knees bent and pushed flat against the floor, bending the bone between her thigh and hips so that her left leg bent out to the left, her right leg out to the right. She put the top Lego on her tower when her hand slipped and her tower came crumbling down. She blinked a few times, before her lip pouted and she looked around to see if anyone saw. When she was satisfied that nobody had witnessed it she just started down and her eyes glossed over with tears. She bit her lip trying to hold them in and I had to resist the urge to go comfort her. _She needs to do this, _I told myself. _She can't be like you._ As much as I tried to reassure myself my resolve was crumbling, especially when she looked up again to check to see if someone was watching. She looked down again, thinking no one had seen, but she hadn't looked behind her. The little architect from before had seen her tower fall and her sad face, he tilted his head to the side and looked, so he saw her tears when she turned the second time. He went onto his knees and pushed his tower carefully until it was sitting in front of Ava. The teacher made her circuit passed them and interrupted Ava staring at the boy with her mouth open in shock.

"Ava! Did you build that tower dear?"

"Yes she did. "

"He helped me." I was shocked as Ava spoke up.

"He did, well it's beautiful. Who came up with the idea?"

"She did. She has bwans and bwuty too." The boy responded and Ava looked down and blushed so hard it put tomatoes to shame. My heart melted.

The teacher's mouth dropped and she laughed. "Where did you come up with that Davey?"

He shrugged, "T.V."

I watched as the teacher left and Ava and Davey started talking and making another tower.

"Looks like we have a wedding to plan." I turned to see a short girl with spiky black hair and those familiar blue eyes.

Davey and Ava were inseparable and soon Alice and I were as well. Five months later we opened our own daycare, and six months after that, well here we are.

By eight-fifteen the daycare was filled with kids and Alice and I ran around like crazy, until noon when she left for work. Then I was left to run for myself.

I cooked, cleaned, chased, scolded, and washed the mouths of children (Davey started a trend) for another five hours until Alice came in. I hugged and kissed Ava thanked Alice and drove home to get ready for work. This is where I envied Alice and her luxury mall job. I put on my low cut tank top, and matching short shorts.

I got back in my car and drove into down was there with five minutes before my extremely long shift started. I walked into the clock room and saw my friend.

"Hey Rose."

"Hey Bells." I could hear the rowdy, horny guys and the blaring music from outside the door. I sighed heavily.

"Hey, at least your not going up on the stage tonight."

"Are you?" I questioned her.

"Mmm, not tonight." She decided.

"I gotta get out, I'm over my break, see you out there. And remember, your not one of the whores, if anyone gets to handsy tell me. I'll kick their ass, job be damned."

"Thanks Rosalie." She returned my smile as she walked through the door, the music and catcalls getting louder for a second before the door slammed closed after her. I stared at it for a second before punching in and pulling hair up.

I'm not exactly proud of what I do, but it provides the extra money that the daycare doesn't. And I'm not a stripper, just a waitress. Rose is a waitress to, though if she goes shopping she'll do a little dance and stop when she's clad in only underwear; just for the extra cash. The only reason I even picked being a waitress in a "gentlemen's club" was because of the logic. One, the hours are longer. Two, can easily work at night, which fit the Alice situation. Three, the guys are usually drunk and horny, so usually I get an above average tip. And four, sometimes even a drunken wolf-whistle can boost a girls self esteem. I'm not exactly…well Rosalie. Rose is tall, skinny with curves, blonde hair, blue eyes, and legs that go on forever; usually donned with heels that could kill. And me, I'm average height, brown hair, brown eyes. If I didn't have decent sized tits, I probably wouldn't have gotten he job, though Rose and Alice tell me otherwise.

I grabbed my notepad and circular plastic tray and walked through the door, instantly blinded by the sight of one the stripper girls, shedding her shirt and grinding against a guy who looked like he had died and found the promised land in the same day, after coming back with his lottery winnings. I noticed that it was a girl named Jessica, a nice girl who had taken the wrong path in her younger years, dropped out of college, and there she stands.

Well actually she was sitting in his lap and grinding him now…

Rose was suddenly behind me whispering, "Oh god. Bella look." She pointed to a table in the corner and I saw the back of two easily recognizable heads. The one that led to a bigger body, the one with the curly brown hair filled me with excitement and the other one, the one with the unmistakable bronze tousled hair, well…

That one made me want to punch something.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A/N Well that was the first chapter! I hope it was to your liking, likings? Either way- I have the second chapter planned out and just have to type it up so if I see that enough people like it I'll post it! Reviews would help. Just saying. **


	2. Chapter 2

EPOV

"Shit Emmett I'm coming! I'll be home in like ten minutes."

"Ten minutes and I'm leaving without you."

I hung up, not willing to listen to his bullshit; he'd never leave without me.

I walked out the recording studio and into the parking lot, climbing into my Volvo and heading home. We started a new movie soundtrack today, supposed to be some big blockbuster romance. I got to read the script a few weeks ago, you know the drill, boy meets girl, shit happens, and they fall in love anyway. To me it sounds like the most clichéd, boring thing ever written. I signed up, because they're right-it'll be huge. If there is one thing I learned from being in the movie business, it's that all you need is the typical plot and some hot actors that will make hormonal women across American line up at midnight. Ridiculous.

Emmett always says I don't know anything about the movie business, considering half the time I never meet the actors. But what he doesn't understand is I hold the movie together. I'm a composer and piano player for movie soundtracks. I right and record all the music at home and send it in on a tape. With new technology I don't even have to go to the studio to drop it off, just send it via e-mail. I work whatever hours I want, in whatever clothes I want (sometimes none at all), and get paid more than Emmett makes in a month. So it doesn't bother me when he mocks my job. My jobs the shit.

But regardless of all those benefits, the best one by far is the chick magnet. Literally. Anything having to do with Hollywood attracts them, and all of a sudden they're all over me like, well magnets. Between that and a woman's general willingness to sleep with anything that has money, I'm in pretty good shape. Though I guess my looks don't hurt any. What can I say, I'm a cocky ass, but at least I admit it. I know I look good, and I use it to my advantage.

The elevator dinged, and I walked out and over to the only door on the floor. I went into my penthouse and headed straight for my bedroom, changing into True Religion dark wash jeans, black button down shirt, and black Ferragamo shoes; chosen by my personal shopping assistant. Then I went back into the lobby and saw Emmett waiting for me.

"Whoa, somebody wants to get some tonight."

"Emmet, I'll _always _get some."

He shook his head but said nothing, partly because I was being a dick- and partly because he knew I was right. We hopped in a cab so that we could get smashed, and rode down to the club. Not only was the club a strip club, but also the owner was smart enough to attach it to a regular nightclub, which insured us horny bastards strippers, and fresh meat. Smartest bastard alive.

The bouncer let us in, and we made small chat with him, to the annoyance of the people waiting in line. Regulars (and kiss asses) get special treatment. We let us in, no wait of course, and we walked up to the podium where a tall blonde girl with amazing legs and big tits was organizing menus. I smirked and walked up to her,

"Hey Hale."

She looked up and her face instantly fell. "Hello Cullen." She answered curtly. I was disappointed, usually she's feisty and making her mad is second best part of coming down. You know, besides getting laid after. Then Emmett walked over.

_Score._

"Why hello Rose." Emmett had a huge smirk on his face, he loved irritating her as much as I did, except for him it was a turn-on. I gave up on pursuing her as soon as she opened her mouth. But Emmett liked a challenge.

She looked up and her calm demeanor quickly changed. Her eyes narrowed and if looks could kill, Emmett would be a big lug on the floor by now.

"Ugh."

"Its so nice to see you to! And might I say you look absolutely fuckable this evening."

I couldn't contain my chuckles as she glared at him even harder. Then as a response she simply rolled her eyes and started walking to the table. We followed her to the only available table in the place and she looked around nervously for a minute before finally letting us sit down. I wondered why she was so reluctant to give us this table but shrugged it off.

"Do you two _gentleman_ know what you'd like."

"Why Rose, I haven't even had time to look at my menu yet." I replied trying once again to get a rise out of her. I was in a good mood tonight.

"You come here almost every night ass."

"Its for the super friendly service." She simply glared at my response.

"I know what I want." Emmett piped up.

Rose looked shocked at his non-sarcastic response.

"I would like my usually beer and a small piece of your fine ass. I'll take the rest of it home with me."

I almost fell out of the booth I was laughing so hard. Emmett was smiling at Rose like he had just asked her for a piece of cake and not her ass. She was staring at him her mouth partially open before she walked away saying, "Yeah, I'll get right on that."

I finally recovered enough to fist bump him across the table. He smirked with satisfaction and leaned back in his seat. We made small talk while watching the girls on stage for a few minutes before Rose came back with our beers. She placed them on the table and told us our waitress would be in a minute.

"Aren't you our waitress?" I asked.

"Not tonight, I tried to save the poor girl, but you turds couldn't figure out what you wanted."

"Well don't forget to bring me my order before I leave" Emmett winked at her and she flipped him off before walking away. Emmett turned his head sideways and shook it a little bit, watching her as she walked away. He sighed.

"I think I'm wearing her down."

"Emmett she's not gonna let you fuck her, man. She knows our track record."

"Maybe I don't just want to fuck her."

My mouth dropped at his announcement.

"Is _the _Emmett McCarty going soft on me?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't think she'd be so bad to keep around. I like 'em feisty." He said wagging his eyebrows, but I knew he was serious.

"Dude, _don't _go there. Stick to lifestyle we've got set up, it's gold."

"The hit and run?"

"Huh, never thought of it like that. Don't say that, it makes what we do sound bad."

"What you guys do is _far_ worse than bad."

I turned toward the voice that interrupted and what I saw made my heart light with joy. The 5'2 girl, with small curves, dark brown curls, and brown eyes to match, stood there glaring at me. One hand was on her hip and she looked like she was resisting the urge to slap me. Now I knew why Rose didn't want us in _this _section.

_Yes! She's even more fun than Rose!_

"Well hello Ms. Swan." I said giving her my most mischievous smirk.

"Cullen." She replied intensifying her glare. If she turned up anymore she'd have her eyes completely closed, though I was pretty sure I would still be able to feel the hate. I loved the hate, I feed off it. Besides Rosalie, Bella was the only one I had ever met in this joint that didn't sleep with me. And if Emmett weren't so attached to her, I probably would have manipulated Rose into by now.

"Hey Bells! What's going on girl?" Emmett replied with enthusiasm. He actually liked Bella.

"Not much Emmet, just making some money. Got to pay the bills you know." She replied with a genuine smile. She liked Emmett too, unlike Rose.

"I hear yeah."

"So I believe you judging lifestyle? And eavesdropping. Not a very good thing for a waitress to do. I might have to deduct from your tip."

She glared at me. "I didn't need to eavesdrop to know about your 'lifestyle' Edward Cullen. Your pretty infamous around here."

"Really? As a god? A king?"

"More like a world class ass."

"Yet woman still throw themselves at me every time I walk through the door." Right on time, a girl with blonde hair, green eyes, and big tits walked by and winked at me. I winked back then looked at Bella. She looked between the girl and me before rolling her eyes.

"Hey." I said to the girl, smiling my alluring smile.

"Hey yourself." She replied stopping in front our table. I watched from the corner of my eyes as Bella raised an eyebrow.

"So, I'll see you after I eat." I told the girl directly. "You can wait over there." I nodded my head to the hall in front of the door. Bella's mouth dropped from my rudeness, and I turned my head and saw that Emmett had seen her reaction as well, and was shaking his head while hiding a smirk. He knew what would come next.

I turned back to the girl to see that she had raised her eyebrow in annoyance, but there was a hint of a smirk on her lips.

_She liked me in control. I'll have to keep that in mind for later. _

"What if I don't _want _to see you after you eat?" She asked in challenge.

I shrugged, calling her bluff. "Then I guess I'll just have to send someone else."

She pursed her lips a bit, and I could tell what she was doing. She was thinking about it, and waiting, testing me.

_Too can play at that game._

I turned to Bella who was still staring at the girl. That was good. If she had seen my eyes, she would have stopped me before-

"Well Bella, I guess you're the lucky winner tonight. So I'll meet there after your shift?"

_3…_

She stared at me in complete shock,

_2…_

but quickly recovered and her expression turned to absolute hatred.

_1…_

Just as Bella was about to open her mouth, the girl interrupted.

"No she won't. Because I'll see you there."

_Game over._

Bella slowly turned around to face the girl with a blank expression, but the girl was still looking at me. My date for the night leaned in and said in a sexy voice, "But you'd better hurry. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to wait. And I might confuse you for someone else. We wouldn't want me going home with another person would we?"

"No we would not. In fact, I don't think I'm hungry anymore." I handed her the ticket for my jacket that I checked at the door. "Why don't you go grab our coats while I say good night to my friends here." I winked at her and she smiled before slowly pulling away from.

An open-mouthed Bella had her eyes following the girls every move and she stood straight and sashayed off to the coat rack.

Bella glared at me with a hate even more powerful than any other stare she had ever given me. I stared at her, a cocky smirk on my face as tension filled the air. I was starting to feel to awkward, considering the only tension I'm truly used to is of the sexual nature; but I refused to back down.

Emmett must have felt it too, because he stood up and said, "I think I see Jasper over there. I'm going to go say hi." I looked over and say he was right, that the owner of the club and our good buddy Jasper was standing giving orders to some waitresses. Emmett walked over mumbling goodbye to Bella as he went.

_Round two._

"You are a disgusting pig. The day you get a horrible STD that causes your dick to fall off, will be one of the greatest days of my life." She said smiling like we two friends catching up with one another_. I need to throw her off balance._ I looked and up and saw the girl who was waiting wink at me from the door. And I could feel myself getting hard with anticipation. _Fast._

"Oh Bella. You're a relatively sexy girl, but jealous looks good on no one."

For the millionth time tonight Bella's mouth dropped in shock. It was starting to become a permanent picture in my mind.

"You know, this wouldn't be necessary if you weren't so stubborn. Had you spoken faster, it could have been your turn tonight." I winked at her before throwing down money for mine and Emmett's beers as well as a seventy-five dollar tip. She stared at the money on the table un-moving, still processing my words.

_Time for the kill._

I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Maybe next time."

"You wish."

I made a point of looking her up and down, making sure to spend extra time checking out her tits. "Yes, yes I do." She rolled her eyes grabbed her money and walked away. I made my way over to the girl who was waiting with my coat and I took it from her. I looked over the club before I left and saw Rose and Bella glaring at me from a corner of the club. I smirked as I put my arm around the girl's waist and exited the club, headed to the curb to get a cab.

_Another night, another win._ I replayed the conversations in my head before picturing their fuming faces as I was leaving the club. The high of winning a conquest running through my veins. I had gotten to them both in one night.

_New High Score. _

"So, what's your name?" The girl asked. I led her out of the cab and into my building realizing I'd been silent the whole cab ride.

"Well sweetheart, it's a good thing you asked. Because your gonna be screaming it a whole lot tonight."

**A/N Hello again! Thanks to everyone once again for giving this story a try. For those of you who hate Edward right now, don't worry I hate him as well. But I hate those cliché stories where Edward is an ass, then he meets Bella and she's "different". I'm sorry for those who believe so, but I don't think someone can change that quickly. He doesn't know anything about her, and as far as he is concerned she's just another stripper. So she can't be "different" because he doesn't know her. Love is a slow process. Make sense?**

**As always thanks to my beta MrsEmmettCullen27 for coming up with clothes! Her phone company was being douche and her Internet was down so I had to edit this blind, so I apologize for any mistakes that may have been made. Editing is my weakness!!! **

**Any questions you can PM me, or leave it in a review, as I will read all reviews. Speaking of thank you to our first reviewer =] I'm embarrassed to admit how excited I was. So that's it for now! (BTW the A/N will get shorter with each chapter with the exception of answering questions) review and tell your friends!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Read on**

_I sat in one of the chairs in the waiting room. Some people ran by pushing a gurney and I had to lower my head and squeeze my eyes. I hated hospitals._

_I _really_ didn't want to be here._

_There were only two things keeping me here. One, Rosalie said it was the right thing to do. And two, I was a witness, and therefore I had no choice. _

_I sighed, just thinking about it filled me with a mix of two emotions…_

_I was walking outside the club, holding Ass-face's wallet in my hands. The dumbass had left it on the table. I got outside, scanning the area, and spotted him and the blonde bamboo heading across the street for a cab. I called his name as they were in the middle of the road. I hadn't even wanted to give his wallet back, in fact I wanted to go shopping with it, maybe buy a big screen T.V.…or a house._

_Or better yet, I could give it to Alice._

_The opportunities were endless but Rose said that not only would Jasper be upset, for some odd reason he was…_friends_… with Edward, but I had to do it out morally principal. I was a role model for a young girl after all. _

_I pointed out that Ava wasn't here to watch my display, but that only got me a look that said, "Do. Not. Start." So I didn't. _

_At the sound of his name he stopped in the road, when he saw me waving he whispered to the girl to go ahead into the cab. I jogged to the curb to hand it to him as he stood there waiting. God, he didn't even _move.

_Because he was too good for that. Why should he have to move out the street? The cars should just stop for him. Forget the city traffic, if Edward Cullen wants to stand in the middle of the road, well the road should just be closed. _

_I wish one of those damn cars would just hit him. _

_I was about to step into the road when I heard a born blaring, and suddenly Edward's face turned from impatient, to horrified; just as the cab came crashing into him sending him flying through the air and onto the ground a few feet ahead with a splat. My eyes widened as the chaos unfolding around me, people screaming and running to check on him. People yelling at others to call 911, and the bamboo jumping out of the cab, and up and down, yelling 'OMG, OMG, OMFG!"_

_Well soon the ambulance arrived and now we're in the present, me in this chair, in a room smelling of Clorox after Alice wipes down the room, still sitting the mixed emotions. What started out as a blend of two had slowly turned into a mix of four._

_Horror at having seen someone hit_

_Happiness at that person being Edward Cullen, of all people_

_Slight guilt, not for Edward, but for feeling that way about a person, even one who has _justenough_ morals to be considered human, who was just hit by a car and seriously injured_

_Embarrassment about sitting in this chair, my boobs practically popping out of my t-shirt and my ass cheeks barley covered, a result of not having time to change out of my uniform. _

_Just then a nurse walked out and said, _

"_Isabella Swan and Rosalie Hale?" _

_We stood up and she motioned for us to follow her. We were led into Edwards's room where he lay on the bed. Tubes coming from this body and bandages and plaster everywhere. _

_Not so hot now huh?_

_A second later the doctor walked in. He was tall, brunette, and had his white coat on. I could see Rosalie straighten slightly and flip her hair, batting her eyes. At seeing her go from nervous to flirtatious I looked at the doctor again, more closely this time, to see that he was gorgeous, with piercing blue eyes that took my breath away._

"_Hello. I'm Doctor Wilson."_

_He was looking at Rose who returned his look with a sexy smile, and I saw his eyes dart down her body to her feet, and back up to her tits. Rose opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off before they started fucking on the floor in front of me. _

"_Bella Swan."_

_He looked to me as if noticing me for the first time. _

"_Um yes, Ms. Swan. I was told you had seen the accident, were you and Mr. Cullen friends or-"_

_I cut him off before he could even finish eh statement. But it was too late; I knew what he was going to say and just the thought made me want to…well…_

_Vomit._

"_Will he be okay?" I asked._

_Dr. Wilson looked down at his charts, before removing his glasses and saying,_

"_Well actually…"_

"What's gonna work? TEAM WORK!"

I jolted up in bed to see the sun streaming in through my window, listening as Ava gasped in shock and quickly turned down the volume on the T.V. in the living room.

_Just a dream…_

_Just a dream…_

_Just a dream!_

_Damn it!!_

I growled angrily at not knowing whether not Edward had died, even if it _was_ just a dream. 

I looked across the room from my sitting position, into the mirror that hung on that wall hanging above the vanity. My room was on the smaller side, but the living room was a good size, and the kitchen was actually the size of a normal house kitchen, so when I was buying it I figured it was a good trade. Lots of apartments in the city have kitchens so small they should just say, "Two bedroom, two full bath, living room, hall closet, and a slightly large closet that we out some cabinets and a stove in."

I rolled out of bed and walked straight to the window. I looked down at all the cars and people walking below, before turning, walking around the double bed, and headed over to the closet. I grabbed my blue robe, threw my hair into a high ponytail, and walked out the door, down the hall, and into the living room.

Ava was slouching on the couch; her bunny slipper-clad feet on the coffee table, while she grabbed hand-fuls of dry Cheerios form the bowl on her stomach, before shoving them inside her mouth. I looked at the T.V. to see who's ass I had to theoretically kick for waking me up, I watched as the Wonder Pets struggled to help a baby turtle.

I walked behind the couch and placed a kiss on her head,

"Morning baby girl."

"Morning Momma."

I walked into the kitchen and saw the Cheerios still out on the counter, along with a few run-away Cheerios who were laying next to the box, and the tell-tale Tootsie Roll wrapper adjacent to that. I shook my head as I cleaned up the Cheerios and put the box away. I know I should scold her for making a mess and leaving it out, but the kitchen better shape than I had found it two weeks ago, which was covered in Cheerios, sugar and a trial of milk that led into the living room. Of course it was worse when I got into the living room and saw Ava sitting next the T.V. stand trying to blow out the small fire that had started, caused by the milk she had spilt on the wires from her bowl while trying to reach the remote.

That was the end of Ava getting her own liquids. Aside from her Aquapods. Aquapod, someone explain to me what that's about?

I grabbed my own bowl of cereal and ate it at the counter on the barstools, reading the paper Ava had so kindly gotten from the hallway. Since the gesture was cute I'd have to explain to her later that the locks were up high on the door for a reason, and that using the utility stool to open them defeated the purpose.

After finishing my breakfast, as well as my reading, _Obesity Rates are Higher than ever (next page) McDonald's announces the opening of 1,000 new locations! I think I see the problem, _I washed my dishes, and told Ava to get dressed, she placed her empty bowl in the sink and ran down the hall to her room. I turned the T.V. off went into my room, to my closet, and picked out my dark blue skinny jeans, purple sweater, and black boots.

After I was done I put on a little mascara and pulled back part of my hair before walking across the hall and into Ava's room. She was dressed in a pink sweat suit and some black boots. She looked adorable I had to admit; event thought I still thought her and Alice were crazy. When Ava insisted on dressing herself from now on, I was going to go to Wal-Mart and just get her some Garanimals, but I made the mistake of telling Alice. It was unfortunate because at that exact moment I saw an other worldly thing take over Alice's small body, and she went ape-shit. Seriously it was scary, the whole time I was trying to remember what I had seen in my midnight viewing of the Exorcist.

As we were gathering our stuff together and putting them into our bags in the hall, I said to Ava,

"That's a cute sweat-shirt sweetie."

"Mom, it's a _Juicy_ sweatshirt."

I raised my eyebrows. I knew what Juicy was, I wasn't an idiot, but I didn't know _she _knew what it was.

"Ah. Well your boots are cute to."

"Ugh, Mom these are my Ugg boots, their _more_ than cute."

I was about to reply when I got a call from Alice.

"Hey Al."

"Hey Bella."

I frowned. Something was wrong.

"You okay Alice?"

"I'm fine. I was just wondering if you could pick up Davey for me?"

"Oh. Sure, no problem."

"'Kay, thanks."

We went downstairs, past the lobby, waving to Mike as we went, and drove over to Alice's. I made Ava wait in the car, much to her dismay, as I went in and found Davey sitting on his couch, backpack on his back and shoes on and laced. I went down the hall and found Alice in her bathroom, with the water running.

"Alice, I'm taking Davey!" I yelled through the door.

"Okay! Thanks, hon!"

Davey and I went out to the car, and the kids played with his actions figures while we drove to the school. When we got there, we went into the wing and I told the kids to go down to the room and wait for me. They scampered down the hall squealing and giggling over nothing. I smiled,

_Aw._

I went into the main office and got our mail, running into the Principal of the building, Eric Yorkie. He was a nice man, about a year older than me, and loved kids, though he didn't have any of his own. The secretaries in the office were all aware that he was single, most of the young girls always flirting with him. He was, in my opinion, a relatively good-looking man. Nothing really special, but not unfortunate. He was sweet, but his obvious flirting with me was awkward sometimes. Part of me was flattered, but the other part, the part that got a little impatient when we just went on talking _forever_, just wanted to get to out of there.

After listening to him talk for about ten minutes, I told him I had left the kids in the room and really had to get back. He nodded and said, "Oh yes, of course." And I internally sighed with relief.

The rest of the day was a typical day for us. Davey started a new trend, similar to the marker trend, except this was a bit worse.

"Hey! Everyone, do it like Davey!" Was the cry I heard from the kitchenette as I was making sandwiches for lunch. I heard a bunch of giggles as I whirled around to find all the kids lifting their shirts above and over their heads, occasionally lifting it down to make sure the other children still had their up.

_Davey._

After a quick circle time conversation about why people have to keep their clothes on their bodies, and _not on their heads_, the rest of the day went smooth.

When it was around time for Alice to show up, instead of a little bouncing Pixie, I got a bunch of parents.

"What is everyone doing here?" I asked Mrs. Chapman, one of the mothers.

"Alice called and said she sick and that she wouldn't be able to take over tonight, didn't she tell you?"

Just as I opened my mouth to say no, my phone buzzed. I looked down to see a text message.

_B- I'm sick. So sick. My Mom's going to pick to Davey up, I called the parents and their all coming so that you can leave. I'm texting you now so that you have time to find somewhere for Ava. Super sorry XX Alice_

I looked down and saw the message had been sent to me at noon.

_What the hell? Freakin' phone. More bars in more places, apparently not!_

"Shit." I mumbled under my breath.

After saying goodbye to all the parents, I sent Ava to pick up her stuff. I still had no-where to put her, which only meant one thing.

I pulled out my phone and dialed, putting the phone to my ear,

"Hello."

"Jasper, it's Bella.

"Hey Bella. What's up? You still coming in tonight?"

"Um yes, but I lost my daycare and I'm not sure what else I can, I all ready used my sick days with Ava and-"

"Say no more. Bring her in if you want, Rose still has some hours that I owe her, she can hang out in the back with the kid."

"Thank you so much Jasper, I swear if it wasn't such late notice I never would ask but-"

"Don't even worry about it. I'll see you both soon."

Ava and I locked up and ran back to the house, where I changed and pulled a _huge_ coat over myself. We got to the club, went into to the back, where Rose was sitting on an amp, a sweatshirt over her small t-shirt and iPod on her lap. Ava ran over and Rose smiled, reaching down to lift her onto her lap.

"Hey I-"

"Don't bother," She interrupted me. "Jasper told me. Go on your gonna be late."

I went out and did for my shift for about and hour when I huge rush of guys came in for some oversized bachelor party. I was walking through the crowded club when suddenly Rose ran over to me, her face terrified.

"Bella!"

"Rose?"

I looked around her, and felt my adrenaline peak.

"Where's Ava?"

"I don't know."

Everything stopped.

**A/N Oooooohhhhh.**

**Don't hate on Rosalie, she doesn't have kids, and in crowded places things happen. Granted this is probably a **_**really**_** bad place to lose a little girl, among drunk honry men, but you'll just have to see what happens huh?**

**As always thank you to my beta, MrsEmmettCullen27. Your hot. **

**I know I promised some people I would update by Wednesday, but life (mostly school) got to me. And technically I never said which Wednesday… Sorry.**

**Anyone else see Remember Me? Anyone else super excited for New Moon on DVD?**

**In other news, I made you guys a twitter so that you can just check and I'll update daily on how the stories coming, or not, so you don't have to keep waiting so long. The link's on my profile so if you have twitter follow me, if not it's not private so just go ahead and type in the link. Almost 200 hits and about 4 reviews. Come on guys. Some support! Even if it's just, hey good story! Maybe just a smiley face? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I'm so sorry it took so long! My computer is suicidal! It decided to kill its own battery and use all it's memory on random undeletable files. Then it murdered the external harddrive I bought. So to make up for it, I wrote a super-duper long chapter. Thanks as always to my beta MrsEmmettCullen27 who I think wanted to kill when I sent this to her late at night (I love you!) Any who I know your all worried about Ava so for those who actually read this, read on:**

EPOV

I closed my eyes and let my instincts take over. I listened to the soothing music as flowed through my fingertips to the keys. It was moments like these when I felt the happiest. Playing my music, listening to the classical sounds, it blocked out the whole world. Nothing else mattered. Not my job, not my friends, not women, not even my father. I had no thoughts. I would sit here forever, appointments, deadlines, and promises be damned.

*Ring*

I froze for a quick second before continuing hoping it was my imagination, or conscience, considering I had no idea what time it was and I was supposed to meet Emmett at seven.

*Ring*

_Ugh_

I stood up and walked across the open piano space and into the living room, looking at the caller ID from the phone that sat on the end table. I stared at the table for a second for a second, allowing myself to think about the memories that came with it. The memories of shopping for it with my mother. As I started to get deeper into the memories of the good time we had, I answered it quickly before I could dig myself deeper.

"Hello?"

"Edward?" An annoyingly chirpy voice answered back.

_Shit_

It was Carrie, the girl he had been out with the other night. The same night he had pissed Bella off. He smirked at the memory. That was a great night.

"Hello?"

The annoying voice reminded me of what had happened after making Bella mad. Blonde tits, and me came back here and fucked like animals. In the morning I brought us back breakfast and then told her I had an appointment; giving her a long kiss as I all but shoved her out the door.

"Oh hello Carrie."

Now she was calling. Again.

_Rule Number 1: ALWAYS check the caller ID._

"Um, it's Casey…from the other night?"

Ah, the name flop. Cliché, yes; but it actually happens.

"Of course Casey, I'm just kidding. How could I forget?" I said, making my voice smooth.

I heard giggling coming from the other end of the line.

_She fucking giggled. Oh damn._

"Listen, I had a really great time."

"Oh, uh yea. Me too. Listen Catie-"

"Casey."

"Right, you know I just don't think this is going to work out."

Silence.

"WHY?!" Sobbed a hysterical voice.

The sobs continued as she begged me to tell her what she did wrong, and then some random shit about hating her father that I didn't quite understand.

_Ohhhh, this is bad._

"I'm married." I said, breaking her rant.

"You-you-your-WHAT?!?!" She screamed.

"Yea, sorry look my wife just got home so, uh, bye." I said as I hung up. I put the phone back onto the charger and took a deep breath, running my hands through my hair.

_I think that went well._

I had used the married excuse many a time; it never failed to keep them away. Most women found it insulting when they find out the man they'd slept with already had a designated partner. Personally, I didn't care if a woman was married; then again, I've been told I'm a dick. Numerous times.

I walked away from the table and went back up to the piano, which was sitting in front a huge glass window that looked out over the city. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping for inspiration to hit me like it just had.

I waited.

Silence.

I sighed deeply, having lost the mood. If dealing with girl-shit along with the memories of my mother, hadn't had me so wiped out…

_I'd be fucking pissed._

I got up form the piano, stepped down from the carpeted platform, across the room, and up the three short stairs and down the hall into my bedroom. When I entered, I sat down on my bed and flopped backward. I rubbed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair, keeping them there. I sat for a minute, just lost in sporadic thought. I groaned and gave my hair a tug before propelling myself into a sitting position. I turned my head and glanced at the clock to see that it was eight thirty, and I had to meet Emmett in the lobby at eight forty-five. I got up and got dressed, too exhausted to even try and tame the excuse genetics had given me for hair. I grabbed my cell phone and locked the door behind me, heading to the elevator.

On my way down I sighed again, wondering why thinking of my family made me so exhausted. I decided that I needed to do something to ease up the situation. The more I thought about the more the answer became clear.

_I need to get smashed._

Ahh. The answer to everything.

As I walked into the lobby I saw Emmett nod in my direction before going to grab a cab outside. I climbed in after him and gave the driver the address.

"Yo, James is meeting us there."

I groaned even louder than I had upstairs. I hated that fucker.

"Em, I hate that fucker." Yea, I have no filter. Though in this case it didn't matter to me.

"Hey, I'm no fan either, but he's the head of my division for our sister company. You know this."

I sighed; I did know this. It didn't matter.

_If I wasn't already planning on getting smashed, I sure as hell was now. _

"Whatever."

We pulled up to the club and walked inside checking our coats. Jessica led us to our table, and I was surprised to see she was taking orders and not bills tonight. We sat and soon I saw a blonde ponytail hitting on some chick over Emmett's shoulder.

"Dude, come sit on this side with me."

"Why, you wanna cuddle?"

"Em, shut the fuck up and get over here before the jackass tries to sit with me."

Emmett grumbled but moved over nonetheless. He probably didn't want to have to sit with him either.

"Gentlemen." The slime ball said with as greeting. I could smell his nasty, cheap cologne from across the booth.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Emmett asked.

_Kiss-ass._

"Not much, you boys ready for a show?" He asked with a smile that made my skin crawl. His phone rang and he stood up holding up one finger, moving to the side of booth, one hand covering his open ear to try and block out the noise.

"Em, man, the dude's a fuckin' creeper."

"Now Edward, sometimes we have to hang out with people we really don't want to. Pull up your big boy pants and shut it." His voice was teasing and cute in the beginning, but was hard and commanding at the end. I knew this was important to him, so I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, opening them quickly.

Only to come face to face with the King of Creep.

"Gah, uh hey."

He gave me that creepy smile again. I suppressed a shudder.

Twenty minutes later we were all sitting down and eating in peace, when douche bag decided to fill it in with chatter.

"So Edward, Emmett tells me you're a musician?" He said there was an edge to his voice, as if he was preparing for a blow-up.

I swallowed my bite of food and looked at him skeptically.

"Yup." I answered warily, while trying to make my voice confident.

"Guitar?"

"I can. I usually prefer piano though."

He raised an eyebrow. Then chuckled,

"So you're a Mozart nerd?"

I froze.

_Now, I'm going to punch him._

Nobody, NOBODY, calls me a geek. I'm THE Edward Cullen.

I was getting ready to strike when I looked back at Emmett. He was pleading me with his eyes not to cause trouble for him, and while I normally don't care. I have my soft spots. They are far and few between, but there're there.

"Ah ha ha ha. I think I'm going to go…somewhere. I'll be back."

I got up from the table and started walking; I wasn't paying attention, jut focusing on not going back there to teach that bastard a lesson. Soon enough, I walked out into an "intersection" and someone running down the left isle tried to stop short and ended up falling. Without thinking I reached out and caught her around the waist. The face that looked up at me brightening my mood.

Someone to take it all out on.

"Where you running to Swan? Needed on stage?"

"Not in the mood Cullen." She pulled herself up and straightened out her uniform, her top had been pulled and most of her bra was showing.

"You should leave it like that. You're bound to get more tips." I winked at her, trying to get a rise out of her. If she wasn't in the mood, chances are she'd snap sooner. The looks in eyes when she glared at me told me I was right.

_As usual._

"Enjoy it now, because one day, this ass-hole behavior of yours is going to come back and bite you in the ass. Whether it's the day you get that dick-annihilating STD, or the day your sitting on your deathbed, with no one standing by your side; having had no one visit you, you'll regret it. But then it'll be too late. And you'll have nothing."

She wasn't smiling when she finished; she wasn't trying to get a rise out of me. She honestly felt this way, and must have been genuinely upset about something because she was obviously using me as an outlet.

I didn't take her hurt expression into consideration, because her words brought me back to this afternoon, and my side table flashed in my mind. My filter shut down completely, and I opened my mouth.

"You hate _me _for sleeping around," I started. "Take a look around, _Bella_, your working at a fucking strip club. Your. A. Stripper."

"You've never seen me on that pole." Her voice wavered, and she cast her eyes downward.

"I don't have to. I _know_ you're a whore. That's all you are. Just like your fellow employees. A low class, high tempered whore. With no future. Oh wait, maybe you'll downgrade to prostitute when you get too old." I knew that made no sense, because who'd want to sleep with someone who was too old to be a stripper, but it must have hurt because she wavered her glare a bit.

_I don't care. I hope that hurt. _

"I can have a future." She replied, but it looked rehearsed as if she had said it t herself before. It seemed like she was saying it to herself now.

"Oh yeah, because even if someone does marry an ex-stripper, it'll be a great story to tell your kids. 'Mommy where you do you work?' 'Well honey, Mommy used to take her clothes off and dances for men.' Yes. What a role model."

She didn't say anything, just stared me down, frozen in her glare. I gave an unbelieving sigh and started to walk past her, as I brushed her shoulder I heard her whisper,

"I hate you."

I froze.

She has said this to me before. Many times actually, but never like that. Never filled with so much hatred and…hurt. I spun around to see her standing there, just completely broken. Tears were streaming down her face and she was breathing hard. I was so shocked I couldn't even drop my jaw.

She was always so tough. She never gave in to my remarks. Ever.

She sucked in a ragged breath that turned into a sob and I instinctually reached out to help her, even though I had no idea what to do. I didn't get the chance to find out. Before I could reach her she sobbed again and ran away from me.

"Hey, wait." I said, but I was still shocked, so it came out at normal volume. She was so far gone she couldn't hear me.

I had never seen anyone who was usually strong just brake down like that. I never usually stuck around long enough to see the effects.

_Well, you did one time._

I squeezed my eyes shut, unwilling to remember. Believe it or not, I was mad. Why did Bella have to be so weak? Why did she have to break down? If she can't handle it, she shouldn't have tried to play. If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen, right?

_What the fuck ever. She's such a fucking girl._

I made a tisk sound of disbelief and started back over to Emmett and James.

_Yay._

But not before I flirted with a hot red head with big tits.

When I returned to the table the boys were making casual conversation. James questioned me on where I had disappeared and if he had hurt my feelings. I played it cool asking what he could have said that would hurt me, and he looked disappointed that I wasn't affected by his words, just irritated by his presence. The food arrived and I laughed at Emmett's choice of curly fries. The cuisine here was amazingly good considering it's venue, and I made the waitress bring him a medium-rare steak. She brought it out and James chuckled as Emmett cut it into bite-sized pieces.

_How this man gets laid, I'll never know._

We were eating in silence, Emmett to my right on the end of the booth, and James across from us in the seat on his own. The side next to me was also open, as the booths were placed in the middle of an aisle, enabling scantily clad waitresses to serve on each side of each table.

I was watching James attack his lobster rather viscously with his knife when suddenly a woman's hand grabbed my chin and turned my eyes to look at her. She was dirty blonde with bright brown eyes.

"Oh thank god." She said with a sigh. "How can you sit here eating when your daughter was lost in the crowd, are you drunk?" She leaned her face into mine and breathed, before sniffing my coke. "No your good." Then she lifted a little girl into my lap.

"Umm, I'm sorry, this isn't my daughter."

"Oh stop kidding around, look at your eyes their identical, when I saw this little girl I knew I'd seen this eyes before. Now I know where, on you! Ha-ha!" Since this woman was asking me if I was drunk, I was surprised to see that she was a bit intoxicate herself. Unless she was just nuts.

"No seriously, there's no way." Suddenly my face was being pulled in the other direction, and I was staring into green eyes so intense, that I'd only seen such a pair in my own head.

"If you make me go with that crazy lady again, I'll scream really loud, and you'll be arrested."

My jaw dropped at this turn of events, who did this little girl think she was? Her brown hair was tied in braids while her eyes burned into mine. I looked down at her size again, trying to gauge her age.

"You can't tell me what to do, what are you like three?"

"I'm six and one quarter!"

"Well pardon me!"

"Well everything seems to be going quite well here, so have fun with your daughter!" The dumbass giggled (insert shudder here) as she walked away, leaving an awkward silence at the table. I looked down at the girl again. Now that the lady was gone, she seemed to realize that three rather large men surrounded her. As she looked at Emmett I saw her fear increase and she was only able to handle looking at James for all of two seconds before he spoke.

"Well, lookie here. What are we gonna do with this little cutie?" His voice was disgustingly slimy, but at the moment I was too freaked to care.

_There is a little girl sitting on my lap. Oh my god. Oh my god. Abort, abort!_

"I don't know, and I don't care." I slid her off in between Emmet and I.

"Oh yay, looks like I get to take the new pet home with me." James gave her a disturbing smile. In response the girl widened her eyes and bit her lip, her eyes watered and she whimpered.

_No, no, no. Edward does _not _do tears._

"James don't be a fucking creep." I was shocked Emmett said anything considering how important it was for him not to piss James off. He lifted the girl off the booth and sat her on table in front of him. She was small enough that she fit.

_Are six year olds getting smaller?_

"Hey there." Emmett said, making his voice soft and soothing.

She halted her whimpering and looked at him through her wet eyelashes.

"Hi."

He smiled, happy he got her to calm down.

"That's a pretty ribbon you got on your pig tail."

"Than-ku" She said in her child-like voice as she fingered the ribbon on the end of her braid.

"It matches your outfit, but… I think it would looked better on me, whatd'ya think?" He held up the end of her hair to the side of his head, raising his eyebrows; causing her to giggle in delight. I didn't register that this giggling didn't make me want to vomit like it did when grown woman did it.

_Maybe that's because those woman needed to grow the fuck up. Giggling is for little kids ONLY._

"What you don't think it suits me?" Emmett pulled me out of my thoughts reminding me of our…little problem.

"No," she said shaking her head and continued her giggling.

"Maybe your right. What's your name baby doll?"

"Ava."

"Hi Ava. I'm Emmett, that's James and Edward." He said pointing to each of us. She didn't acknowledge James, but took a moment to glare at me.

_Shrimp's probably upset that I wanted to sell her to the crazy lady._

"What?" I asked her.

"You're a jerk."

"Excuse me?"

"I can tell, I don't like you."

"Well…well…whatever." I didn't need her stamp of approval. God what is with brunettes and pissing me off tonight?

"So Ava, do you like curly fries?" Emmett asked her, she nodded her head and he gave her the last of his. She munched on them, but there were only about three left so he got up to get her more, as he was about to leave he looked at James. He picked her up and placed her on my lap again.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"Edward just a minute while I get her some food, it's late and she's tired and hungry. Besides, I heard kids are chick magnets. Haven't you ever seen Two and Half Men when Jake was little?"

"What? Whatever, fine."

He left and I looked down to see her glaring at me again obviously as thrilled with the new sitting arrangement as I was. I rolled my eyes at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Wow that was cool." I argued.

"Tongue beats eye roll."

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too times infinity!" She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, proud that she had won.

_What the hell, no way I so won that was not fair- what the fuck am I doing? I am NOT five, if I was a whole lot of woman would be in jail right now…_

Speaking of, a woman had started playing with Ava while I'd been trying to win. I looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back and I ogled her. She was hot.

"Hi there." I gave my dazzling smile.

"Hi, your daughters adorable. You two are so cute together. It's so sweet."

_Emmett was right. I can make this work._

"Thanks. How'd you know she was mine? Was the eyes or the smile?" I pressed my face against her smiling and from the corner of my eye I saw Ava giving me a "what the fuck" look, though apparently the girl didn't notice.

"Aw! You are so adorable! I bet your wife laughs a lot huh?"

"Oh, there's no wife."

"Really?"

"Daddy, a wife is what you call the girl you're married to, that's what Mommy is silly." Ava looked at me with the winning smirk on her face. Before it transformed into innocent and sweet before my eyes. She looked back at the woman.

"Mommy tells me about her and Daddy's wedding every night before bed. She was coming home late from work tonight to make extra money for Daddy's birthday vacation, that's why I got to come with him tonight." She finished with a smile and pecked me on the cheek before settling against my chest and playing with my hair.

_Little cockblocker! When we find her parents, I'm telling them she needs to be an actress; she has a wonderful career ahead of her._

The woman looked at me hatefully before slapping me across the face screaming curses at me before she left. Ava looked up at me her mouth open in shock before it melted in laughter. I looked across the table when deeper laughter alerted me that James was also finding humor in this. I turned around a deep but familiar laugh to see Emmett sitting next to me again, new fries in front of him, almost falling out of the booth.

"Hardy har." I said lifting Ava out of my lap and placing her in his

"You're the best cock-blocker ever! You surpassed me babe!" Emmett gave Ava a high five and she had a shit-eating grin on her face, before she turned and went to devour the fries.

Everyone was still chuckling, except me of course; I was busy rubbing my sore cheek, when Jasper suddenly appeared in front of us.

"Ava!" He sounded relived.

"Hi Uncle Jasper." She said as she continued to eat her fries.

Emmett turned, giving me the same look I was sure was currently plastered onto my own face. Jasper spoke quickly into a cell phone and before anyone could ask Rosalie appeared, squatting down and swallowing Ava in a hug.

"Aunty Rose. Can't. Breathe." Ava choked out and Rose release her stroking her face.

"Sweetie are you okay?" She tried to look Ava in the eye, but Ava's attention had been reverted back to her fries.

"Mhm."

"Are you sure?" Rosalie still sounded concerned, and Ava looked back at her with her brow furrowed, munching on a fry in her hand.

"Yea. Emmett took care of me." She leaned back into his chest as she spoke. It was a funny sight, seeing that little girl against massive Emmett.

Rosalie looked shocked. Then she changed to disbelieving.

"Emmet?"

"Mhm. I was scared and crying and he was really nice and made me laugh. That one was mean." She pointed to me, and Rosalie glared like she was going shot me. I held my hands up in surrender.

"Now that I believe." Rosalie retorted.

"But not Emmett, he was super funny and nice."

Rosalie put her hand on his shoulder and shook him a bit.

"This guy, right here? Emmet?"

"Mhm, you should go out with him Aunty Rose, you'd like him."

"Yea Rose, listen to the girl." He put his arm around Rosalie's waist and pulled her closer, but she couldn't react. She seemed to be frozen. She just kept looking between Emmett and the way Ava was laying on him, playing with the color of his shirt. I wished I had a camera. The moment was odd, it was as if we were all wrapped in our bubble, the noise from the club surrounding us only a dull throbbing. The odd moment was broken by a gasp.

"Oh thank god."

Every head spun around and I followed suit. My eyes landed on Bella who still had tears streaming down her face, her clothes disheveled and her hair messed up like she'd been pulling at it. She started making her way toward us quickly.

Ava gasped from Emmett's lap and threw her fires on the table, just as Bella reached us Ava yelled,

"Mommy!"

She jumped off Emmett's lap and landed right in Bella's arms, and Bella pulled her close, one arm on her waist and the other on the back her head. She leaned down and kissed Ava's forehead before pulling her back to her. She looked up over Ava's head and straight at me.

_Mommy?_

**A/N ****IMPORTANT WARNING IN SECOND PARAGRAPH PLEASE READ**

**So yes everyone can rest easy, Ava is fine. As for what she was doing before she made it to Edward, she basically just wondering around. **

**For anyone who is worried about James, this story will be child abuse free. Sexually or otherwise. I hate child abusers and believe they should all be killed. So no worries. He's just weird. **

**I hate to be greedy, but we have good amount of hits and favorite (thanks to all) but barley any reviews. I know it's annoying because I never really reviewed either until I started writing my own story and realize how much it motivation it gives. It really helps me think that the story is worth continuing. Thank you so much to all reviewers! **

**So review to boost adorable Ava's self esteem =) [as well as mine]**


	5. Chapter 5

BPOV

I tucked Ava's comforter under her neck, watching the soothing pattern of her chest rising and falling. The comforter was a light pink with small, light brown, dark brown, and hotter pink circles that started out small in quantity and increased as the comforter flowed down the bed. She called it her "waterfall" bed, and the pink and brown color scheme was used throughout her entire bedroom. There were pink magnet boards and dark brown cork boards that were cut into squares and placed adjacent to each other to create a giant square, that covered the center of the wall across from her bed. The piece of the wall that wasn't covered by chalk was decorated with spots, also pink and brown colored.

I looked down at my angel and placed a kiss on her forehead, smoothing out her chocolate brown hair, the hair she got from me, which I got from my father. A sort of piece washed through me whenever her eyes were closed. She looked so much like me this way. Granted her mannerisms made her look exactly like me, and there was no doubt that she was mine, but her eyes belonged to her father's family, though his were a much lighter shade, and had more blue in them. If you saw his mother though…

I had only seen those startling green eyes on one other person besides Ava's practically non-existent grandmother. Edward Cullen.

Cullen. God just his name makes me want to-

_Vomit?_

Yes.

_Throw something?_

Hell yes.

_Kill someone?_

No.

_Take a screwdriver and…I'm sorry, no?_

No. I don't want to kill someone.

…

I want to kill him.

After my inner monologue was satisfied, I walked from Ava's room, picking up a stray book from the mixed shaded brown carpet as I went. I placed the book on the brown wood bookshelf, smiling as I remember my father's excitement when he had finished making this for her, and his excitement increasing as her face lit up when she came home and saw it.

I went down the hall, passed the living room and into the kitchen, making myself a cup of coffee. After placing my flavor packet into the Flavia machine, I favorite flavor was Colombia, the smell clamed me down, I pushed the packet door closed and pushed the button, walking into the living room as the machine began to whir. I picked up some stray files from work (contracts from new kids, allergy forms, extra injury reports, typical day care stuff), I went back into the kitchen, retrieved my coffee and grabbed a Splendora "S" shaped cookie, before returning to the living room and plopping down on the couch.

I took a large sip of my coffee, my body relaxing as it moved down my throat, the warmth spreading through my body. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes sighing. I sat there for a few seconds before I realized that I wasn't completely relaxed yet. I need something…

_A gorgeous boyfriend?_

Not this time.

I stood up, abandoning my "S" cookie on the end table as I went into Ava's room. I placed my coffee on the table beside her bed and lifted her form the covers, holding her with one hand, before sliding in and placing her on my lap. Her head lulled against my chest and she didn't awaken from her slumber. It was understandable she had a long night.

_Um, _she_ had a long night._

I supposed I had had one too. I picked my coffee cup off the table and took another gulp, feeling myself finally relax as the new heat in my throat matched the one on my chest and stomach, the heat coming from having my little girl lying with me.

Here with me.

Safe and sound.

With me.

Thank god.

There is no worse feeling than the one that comes with losing your child. Your mind instantly comes up with the worst of possibilities and all you want to do is cry and vomit when you know you have to do _something. _Yet at the same time you can't _do_ anything. Your body just, stops. But your mind doesn't get that satisfaction, it keeps working, thinking of everything that could be happening, running through all the memories, wishing you would have gotten her that doll that she threw a tantrum over, just because she was perfect and wonderful and she deserved everything. But she was gone.

There is no better feeling than having your child safe in your arms, knowing nothing can happen to them. The hole in your chest closes up, and you realize you hadn't breathed at all since they were gone. This time your mind stops working, while your body pulls them close, and strokes their hair, your minds just chants over and over:

_They're ok._

_

* * *

  
_

I'm in a car…

No, not a car, a boat.

The boat is moving.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

"Mooommy."

What a strange foghorn.

"Waaake uuup… MOM!"

I bolted straight up in bed just as Ava descended from her bounce. She landed on her knees in front of me and gave me a smile that was so angelic it had to be a sin to share with the world.

"Good morning Mommy."

I ruffled her hair and pulled her to sit in my lap, facing me.

"Good morning sweetheart."

"Mommy?"

"Yes baby girl?"

"Can we have ice cream?"

"Maybe later, but now it's too early for ice cream."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is. You need breakfast first."

"I had breakfast hours ago, and I just ate lunch."

I turned my head to glance at the clock on my bedside table, and sure enough the blinking numbers showed that it was twelve thirty in the afternoon.

_Whoa._

"Well I guess if you already ate-"

_Hold up… little girl… lunch by herself. Oh god. I don't even want to see the mess._

"Sweetie?"

"Yes Mommy?"

"How did you eat lunch?"

"Mike gave it to me."

I furrowed my eyebrows, and my look of confusion must have encouraged her to explain.

"Well you were sleeping, and you looked _really _sleepy, so I got dressed, and got some money from my piggy bank, and went downstairs, and I was going to go across the street and buy a bagel, but then Mike saw me and asked where you were. And I told him you sleeping and that I was hungry and was going to buy lunch all by myself. But he said that I shouldn't be outside alone, but I told him I was a big girl and I could do it, and then he said that big girls sometimes have their lunch delivered too them, but they only do that if their rich, so I told him I wasn't rich and showed him my three dollars, and he said that he would take care of it and that I should go upstairs and wait. So I came upstairs and super quickly he knocked on the door and brought me my bagel with creamy cheese and _BIG _cookie with rainbow sprinkles. And then he went downstairs again so I ate it all cause it was yummy, but now I want ice cream so can we get some?"

I was horrified that she'd managed to get downstairs and to the door alone and, if wasn't for Mike, could have gone across a busy city street into a deli.

_So I'm rethinking that whole alarm system._

"Alright go get your shoes and your coat and we'll go get some ice cream."

She bounced off the bed and I herd her feet padding down the hall. I threw on jeans and a plain black tee shirt, threw my hair into a ponytail and went down the hall to grab my shoes.

Our elevator ride was filled with chatter about different ice cream flavors and possible toppings. As we were exiting the elevator Ava said, "I want to put rainbow sprinkles on my ice cream, ones just like the ones my cookie."

That reminded me that I needed to say thank you to Mike. As we got to the door he turned and smiled at us.

"Hello there. How'd you like your cookie Ava?"

"It was _sooooooo_ good. I'm getting sprinkles just like that on my ice cream, right Mommy?"

"Sure sweetie."

"Well I'm glad you liked it."

"Mike, thank you-"

"Really Bella, it was nothing."

"At least let me pay you back for the food…"

"It was, like, six dollars. Really Bella no worries. I was happy to do it."

"I know, but it's not part of your job and if you hadn't stopped her I don't-"

"Of course I stopped her, I couldn't let her go out there alone. What else would I have done?"

"Not everyone would have stopped her."

"Well then the people of the world need to work on their morals."

I smiled at him. He was so sweet for such a young kid. Even if someone had stopped her, nobody would have went and gotten her her food, they would have just called me up and told me to come and get her.

"Mommy." Ava's impatient voice chirped from below me and she tugged on my hand.

"Well thank you anyways, if you ever need anything let me know okay?"

"Same to you Bella, enjoy your ice cream Ava."

"Mike, can we have lunch again soon?"

He squatted down so he was right in front of her,

"Call down anytime and I'll bring it up okay?"

She smiled and pulled her hand from mine to wrap her arms around his neck, he smiled and wrapped his arms around her briefly before pulling back, opening the door and tipping his hat.

"Ladies."

Ava giggled and I said a quiet goodbye as we went out for our ice cream.

* * *

Ava and I joked and giggled all the way to ice cream store, and then we laughed as e sat down and ate. Ava had a chocolate cone with rainbow sprinkles and gummy bears, while I had a chocolate soft serve.

A giggled louder than ours rang out at the shop and we turned to see a little girl being tickled by her father. He stopped tickling her and kissed her forehead, just as his wife came over and handed them their cones. I had to say, they were an adorable family. I was still smiling when I turned around to see Ava staring at the family with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"What's wrong baby girl?"

"Nothing." Her voice was sad, such a drastic change from the lightness it had had a minute ago.

"Alright…you ready to go." I still didn't believe her, but if she didn't talk about it I'd ask her later.

She nodded and we threw out the stubs of our cones and started walking home. As we were walking hand in hand down the sidewalk, I looked down and saw Ava's eyes downcast and her face scrunched up as if she were thinking about something. I took our joined hands and raised them so I could rub my face with her thumb.

"Come on baby, what's going on?"

"Davey's not home today."

"Did you want to play with him?"

"No."

_Ummm, ok?_

"Oh?"

"Did Aunt Alice tell you where he was?"

"Nope."

"Davey told me where he was."

"Well where is he baby?"

"He's spending the day with his daddy."

_Ooooohhhh, no._

"Ah."

"Mhm. Mommy?"

_Please no._

"Yes baby?"

"How come I don't have a daddy?"

"Well baby, you do have a daddy."

She stopped and looked up at me confused,

"I do?"

"Mhm."

"I don't believe you."

"You do. You have his eyes."

"I do?"

"Well his mothers eyes, but they're kind of like his-"

I looked down at his confused eyes.

"Yea, they're like his."

"Oh, ok."

We went into the apartment and headed upstairs. One bowl of pasta with "red sauce", a bath, and an ear-splitting episode of Hannah Montana later, I sat on the couch holding a small book of photos.

_I can't do this. I can't do this._

I had to. I didn't want to, but I knew it wasn't right of me to hid Ava's father from her. I knew the day would come when she asked about him, but I was sort of hoping it would skip her mind.

"Ava! Can you come here for a sec, I want to show you something."

I heard her tiny feet pounding on the hardwood floor as she bolted around the corner and slid across it in her fuzzy socks. She jumped up on the couch and looked up at me waiting.

"Baby girl, these are pictures of your dad and I."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yup."

"And I can see it?"

"If you want."

She nodded. And I flipped it open.

"This was your Dad and I when I was sixteen, at the park by my house."

"What's his name?"

"Jason."

"Jason." She tried the name out on her tounge and smiled slightly, apparently she liked it.

"We're you too dating here?"

"Nope."

"Were you friends?"

"Not really. We knew each other, but he lived a few blocks away, and our moms we're friends."

"Oh."

She leafed through the small quantity of photos that were there. Most of just him, one of him as a baby, a few toddlers shots, then some teens; the one of us when we were sixteen, then one of us from his graduation from high school. The photos were familiar, though I hadn't looked at them in a while. All of them still looked the same. They were all posed, but the younger ones were with awkward smiles, a large difference from the one of us at his graduation, that was strangled a smile barely gracing our faces. We had been tired of being thrown together.

"How come you aren't married to him?"

I took a deep breath, hating the conversation, but knowing it needed to be had.

"Because we didn't love each other."

"Did he love me?"

I looked at her face, her eyes worried.

Tears welled up in my eyes,

"Yeah, of course baby."

"Then why doesn't he come and visit?"

"I don't know baby." I couldn't have this conversation now. Between the pictures, her question, it was too much.

She climbed into my lap and hugged me, something she did when she thought I was upset. This time she was right I hugged her back tightly for a minute. Then I pulled back to look at her.

"Thank you baby."

"I love you Mommy."

"I love you too."

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Will I ever have a real daddy? One that lives with us, or comes to visit?"

"I hope so baby."

"Well why can't you get one?"

I smiled.

"It doesn't work like that baby."

"It has to be someone you like?"

"Mhm."

"And they have to like you back?"

"Mhm. And they have to love you."

"Ok, so I know someone."

"Oh yeah, who?"

"Mike."

I started laughing. But sobered when I saw her confused face.

"Oh no baby. No."

"Why, Mike likes you, and me."

"Mike is too young baby, and I don't love Mike."

"Oh, do you have to be friends with the person first?"

"Yes."

"So can you marry Jasper?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't love Jasper."

"Can you grow to love someone?"

"Yes, but not Jasper."

"What about Emmett? He was super nice _and _funny." She smiled as she remembered her new friend.

"Emmett is very funny sweetie."

"_And _nice." She emphasized her point.

"And nice, but he's just a good friend."

"I thought so, I was just trying. Besides he likes Aunty Rose."

I chuckled. "Yes he does."

"I think she likes him too."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

She nodded her head vigorously, her expression excited.

I leaned in close, "I think she does too." Then I winked.

She giggled and then her face became pensive.

"Mommy?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"You don't love Edward do you?"

My eyes widened, and I lost all my air.

Then I started laughing, it started slow, but was a big building laugh and soon tears were streaming out of my eyes.

Ava looked at me slightly worried, but she was still waiting. When I'd calmed down enough I took a huge gulp of air.

"No baby, I don't love Edward."

"Are you friends?"

"No."

"Okay, good. He's a dick."

_Well that sobered me up._

"Ava, where did you hear that word?"

"You and Aunt Rose call him that a lot when you're on the phone and think I'm not listening."

"Honey, don't you that word, _ever_ again, okay?"

"Alright."

I nodded and she picked up the book, closing it and putting it on the coffee table. Then she looked at me again.

"Mommy…"

"One more question baby, then it's time for bed."

"Alright, so Mommy…"

"Yes baby?"

"Edward is mean."

"You said that…"

"I mean…his insides are mean."

"Okay…"

"But his outsides are _very_ pretty."

I couldn't even laugh, because it was something I never really thought about. I mean, I wasn't an idiot, I knew he was attractive, but as I thought about the fact that even a little girl could see it, I analyzed it. Then I realized. He was gorgeous. I mean _really _beautiful. Dazzling.

"Mommy?"

I was still too distracted by Edward's face floating in my memory, I was blinded and unable to answer. My revelation could be used in the military to stun enemies.

"Mommy!"

My mind snapped to last night when Ava had yelled that at me before flinging herself into my arms. Then I remembered what had happened with the military's next nuclear weapon, and sudden the image was marred by the obnoxious words flowing from his mouth.

_Ava is right, he is a dick._

"What is it baby?"

"One time at school, Aunt Alice was reading us a book, and the lesson was that everyone was good inside, but sometimes bad things happen to people and it makes them mean. But they aren't really mean, they're just upset. Soo, maybe Edward is just sad, maybe he got hurt. I mean Emmett has been friends with him for a long time, so maybe he was friends with him when he was nice, and that's why he doesn't ditch him now that he's mean."

I was amazed at my little girl's insight. She was really incredible.

"That's very smart baby."

"But until he gets nice again, I'm still gonna be mean to him."

I laughed, "Okay baby, I think it's time for you to go to bed."

"Do I have to take a bath?"

"No just go put your PJs on, you can have a bath in the morning."

She hopped off the couch and started toward the hall leading to our bedrooms. She rounded the corner halfway before she turned around and smiled at me.

"Mommy."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too baby girl."

As she padded down the hall I thought about what she'd said. It would provide an explanation to his behavior. For a second I felt bad, if he was this awful something really bad must have messed him up. Unless he was just really obnoxious.

For the first time, I felt something other than absolute hatred when I thought of Edward Cullen. It was nothing positive, I hadn't sudden decided I was love with him and wanted sleep with him and marry him and- ugh I get nauseous just thinking that. It was curiosity. No, it wasn't a feeling of adoration. But it wasn't hatred.

And maybe that was good thing. Maybe if I understood him, we could be friends? It would make work easier.

Friends.

That would be a good thing.

Wouldn't it?

* * *

**A/N Sorry I've been MIA. I started the chapter right after I posted the last one and then school and life caught up with me. My grandma got really sick and everything is fine now for those good-hearted people who care. My beta MrsEmmettCullen27 is a life-savor, for without her this story would be incoherent. **

**Although the end of this chapter suggests otherwise, I'm still going ahead with the not falling in love right away, so those who like this idea don't worry, I'm still on your side **

**I understand this chapter was a little less dramatic than the last, and no direct B and E action, but it gave some insight into Bella's past, and a hint about Edwards ;) **

**Review if you love Ava! And just a tip, I've been reviewing more stories I'm reading, and I know it seems like a pain, but it's not! Just hey good story! Or even just write UPDATE =]. Anything helps and every time I get one it reminds me to update faster.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: (Oppps, forgot about that in past chapters…) I do not own the names of characters in this story that are mentioned in the Twilight Saga. They belong to Stephanie Meyer. I do however own this plot, Ava, Davey, and other character not mention in the Twilight Saga. So hands off, or I'll report you =]**

**MrsEmmettCullen27, my beta. What would I do without you? Probably fail my final exams. **

_Previously from our darling Edward's POV:_

_Every head spun around and I followed suit. My eyes landed on Bella who still had tears streaming down her face, her clothes disheveled and her hair messed up like she'd been pulling at it. She started making her way toward us quickly._

_Ava gasped from Emmett's lap and threw her fires on the table, just as Bella reached us Ava yelled,_

"_Mommy!"_

_She jumped off Emmett's lap and landed right in Bella's arms, and Bella pulled her close, one arm on her waist and the other on the back her head. She leaned down and kissed Ava's forehead before pulling her back to her. She looked up over Ava's head and straight at me._

Mommy?

_Mommy…_

_Mommy…_

_Awww shit. That's not good._

The only thing I could do, besides stare and Bella and her d…da… _little person,_ was replay the conversation we had had before over and over. I could see Bella still looking at me over Ava's head, but I couldn't even look away. Her hurt expressions from our earlier…chat, now seemed much more prominent than they had before, and I realized (too late) that it was because my words hit home. Everything I said about her never being able to be a capable mother…

_Congrats Eddie, I think you've hit a new level of Dickward._

Clearly my inner monologue was against me now. Traitor.

I finally gained control of my brain and managed to turn my neck around to see Emmett, who was also frozen by the scene before us. He sensed my gaze and looked at my shocked expression that matched his own. Apparently seeing my face, which no doubt held a hint of guilt, something it was pretty much always void of, thawed him out, and he cracked a small smile before turning back to them.

Bella was still holding on to Ava for dear life, but now she was standing, Ava's legs wrapped her stomach (they were too short to reach her waist) and her head was pressed into Bella neck. Bella switched off from kissing Ava's tiny head to stroking her hair. After a minute she looked over at Jasper.

"Jasper, I'm so-"

He held up his hand and shook his head,

"Don't you dare apologize Bella. I'm just happy we found her safe and sound."

He stroked Ava's hair, and she looked up from Bella's neck and gave a small smile with a tiny wave of her hand. He smiled wide and waved back before winking at her. She must have been tired, because the snarky little girl who had played me earlier was gone. She blushed back Jasper and nuzzled her head back into Bella's neck. Jasper chuckled and winked at Bella before excusing himself to go tell some other employees that they had found Ava.

_Jeez, how important could she be? How could someone so small have so much power? If you could bottle that shit, you could sell it to the government._

Rosalie bent down and stroked Ava's hair.

_What? Is her hair made of some sort of rare silk? _

I'd never understood the whole hair-stroking thing. Its just hair! Everyone's got it, even if your bald you've got it…just not on your head.

Ava turned at Rosalie's affection and smiled at her. This smile was different from the one she gave Jasper, less shy, though still small. She let out a yawn and I knew, as well as everyone else, that she was in fact tired. I suppose it made sense, her shrimp sized body can only hold so much energy.

"Hey honey," Rosalie cooed and I think I may have forgotten to breathe. Rosalie was not one for affection. At least not whenever I see her.

"Hi Aunty Rose."

"So…he was nice to you," She pointed at Emmett once again, "You're sure?"

Ava nodded and looked at Rosalie with a curious expression.

"I just told you that Aunty Rose."

"Really Rose, your shock wounds me." Emmett held his hand over his heart and made an overly sad face. He turned his massive body sideways to face Ava, his legs no longer under the table. He leaned down so he was closer to where Bella held Ava tightly.

"We had a good time, didn't we Fireball?"

"Mhm." Ava gave him a wide smile that was clouded with sleep. "Lots, Emmy's fun."

"See." Emmett stuck his tongue out at Rosalie and Ava attempted at a giggle, but her apparent lack of energy made it sound closer to a sigh.

"Alright, I think we need to get home." Bella said looking down at Ava's drooping eyes. "Say goodbye baby girl."

She started to stand, taking Ava with her, but apparently that tiny body had a small burst of energy left because in a matter of seconds, Ava pulled out of Bella's arms and took a few of her small strides over to where Emmett was sitting. She put her hands on his knees, which were facing the aisle instead of resting under the table. She used his knees as leverage to push herself up into his lap, and then she pushed her tiny body into him, his chest practically swallowing her.

"Thank you for taking care of me Emmy." Her voice was proportional to her size, and the innocent essence of it made Bella and even Rose smile.

After a frozen moment Emmett wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair,

"Anytime Fireball." He pulled back and looked down at her and she returned his gaze. "Tell your mom she has to bring you to visit me, kay?"

Her eyes lit up, "Like a playdate?"

He chuckled, "Sure."

She hugged him tight before jumping off his lap and running over to Bella, jumping back in her arms. Bella smiled and then told Ava to say goodbye to "Aunty Rose".

"Bye Aunty Rose, and hey, give him a chance." She smiled her innocent smile, though she wasn't fooling me. Even the devil managed to disguise himself and come onto Earth now and then.

Rose frowned and kissed Ava's head before starting to walk away.

"Oh so you want to give me my chance by the bar? That's cool baby, I'm right behind you." Emmett grabbed his coat and waggled his eyebrows at Ava before chasing after Rose.

_Bye! Sure, say goodbye to the kid, but leave your best friend here with the King of Creeps._

I looked over at James who was checking his phone; apparently not giving a good shit about anything that was going on here.

"Um."

I turned around to see Bella looking at me nervously, almost as if she was afraid I was going to slap her or something.

_That's nice dickwad she thinks your going to bruise her. _

"I-um-I just-" She froze midsentence and her face changed. Her eyes had gone from liquid chocolate to a frozen chocolate as her hesitance turned to anger.

_She's probably remembering the way you were such an ass to her before. _

_Wait did you say liquid chocolate? …I love chocolate. _

"Say goodbye Ava." Bella broke up my inner monologues conversation and turned my attention to the…kid? in her arms.

"Bye Meany." The stupid kid had on her "that's right, you got burned" face.

"Aren't you going to reprimand your daughter? Last time I checked my manners book, that was considered _rude._"

Bella glared down at me.

"One _don't_ try and tell me how to reprimand my kid. And two the last parenting book I want to read is _yours. _Especially the chapter on manners." She spun around and walked away, Ava's legs rapped around her waist while her head rested on her mother's shoulder. She looked at me, smiled, and mouthed, "Ha" as they melted into the crowd. I stuck my tongue out at her before they disappeared, though she didn't seem fazed.

I had had enough for one night. Between battling with a crazy stripper mom and arguing with her _evil_ spawn I needed to go home and sleep it off.

I turned my attention to James who was still playing on his BlackBerry.

"So, I'm going to go."

"Whatever." The douche didn't even lift up his head.

I rolled my eyes and left some money on the table, for Emmett's sake. Even though he took an escape route to see Rose, I knew he'd be pissed is something happen at work because James threw a hissy fit. Although I didn't know James a whole lot, I knew him enough that I could see him throwing a mental fit and getting Emmett buried in shit because he had to pay.

I climbed into the climb and gave the driver the address. As we were driving I watched outside as the city passed by, the lights blurry, the street reflective from the rain that had been coming down. I remember sitting in cabs with my mom when I was a kid and watching as the city went by. She would point things out to me and I would stare wide-eyed in rapture. I loved those cab rides with my mom. One of my favorite things about her was the way she could make something as simple as a cab ride turn into a land of wonder and excitement. I could see the picture my dad had taken of us one time, when were on our way back from lunch downtown. I was sitting in my mother's lap, my brown corduroy pants clashing with her green and purple floral print dress. My blue polo shirt was un-tucked, and I remember I had counted down the minutes until I could pull the shirt free from its confines behind the belt. Mom had insisted I wear it tucked in for lunch, and didn't argue, I knew the rules. As soon as we got into the cab on the ride home, the shirt came out. My copper hair, un-tamable even as a child, was wet with gel that did not serve its purpose. My mother's hair, the color of mine with a bit more red in it, was curled and styled. She was beautiful. We were both staring out the window, she was pointing something out on the street, and my face was lit with a smile so bright it was infectious to everyone. My mother always used to tell me that, "Edward, you my son have a gift. You can make others happy just by smiling. Never forget to show off that dazzling smile."

The cab pulled up to my building and the flat tone of the cab driver stung against the raw wounds my memories had opened up. I threw him a wad of bills that would surely cover him for his next six rides, and ran out of the rain into the shelter of the lobby. I didn't stop running from there though, because I'd made a big mistake. I'd allowed myself to remember something about my past, about my mother. And now the thirty-foot floodgates were open and I wasn't strong enough to push them shut. Christmases, birthdays, vacations, every happy memory of my child hood came at me with such force I was almost knocked to the ground. I ran passed the elevator, knowing I wouldn't be able to stand inside with so much time to think, as it pushed it's way slowly up the shaft. Instead I pushed passed the door to the stairs and ran up them as fast as I could.

Running was good. It gave me little time to think, I was too busy focusing on other things.

_One foot, the next, one foot, the next, don't trip, don't think, keep going, breathe. _

I finally made it to my apartment, after running straight up more than twenty flights. I was exhausted, but that was good, if I was tired I would sleep faster. And harder, exhaustion would prevent dreams.

_Alcohol also prevents dreams….if you have enough._

I dropped my keys in the bowl on the table next to the door and ran into the kitchen grabbing a bottle of Grey Goose from the cabinet, pulling off the top, and taking a long, burning gulp. The burning was good, the pain kept my mind occupied.

_That sounds stable._

Ignoring my inner monologue was becoming hard, and I realized with annoyance that it really wasn't an inner monologue anymore. It was my conscience. Sad, but true, sometime without my knowledge, my inner monologue had betrayed me. I couldn't remember the last time I had a conscience.

_Did you ever think maybe I've always been here, and that you've just changed my words of wisdom into what you _wanted_ to hear?_

I took another huge gulp from the bottle as an answer and carried it with me as I made my way down the hall and into my bedroom. I stripped down into my boxers, keeping the bottle pressed to my lips as much as I was able in the process. I decided to keep my mind occupied with other thoughts; any other thought was better than one's of my mo-. I stopped myself and tried to think about something that was in my life _now. _Emmett, hanging out with Emmett, the club, Jasper, girls, lots of girls, girls at the club. It was then I realized that this was the first time I had come home from the club without a girl. And I went almost every night for two years.

_You've been signing your nametags all-wrong. It should have read: Hello, my name is __Man-Whore_

I wasn't an idiot. I knew I was a "man-whore", though I personally thought the title was little harsh. Then again, maybe it wasn't harsh. Maybe it was exactly right.

_What would Esme say?_

I winced and quickly threw back my head, chugging more vodka into my system, feeling the numbing effects starting to come on. I couldn't ignore what inner- conscience had said though. What would Esme think? I'll tell you what she'd think. My mother would hate me. Okay, so my mother could never hate me. Esme doesn't hate anyone. She was always a sweet, forgiving person, her motto growing up was, "You never know why someone is the way they are until you spend a day in their shoes." She tried to help everyone she could, in any way she could. She took Emmett in when his Mom died when we were sixteen. We had been friends for years, and when his parents died he was supposed to go to foster care in Michigan. Emmett cried for hours the day he was told he'd have to leave. He'd been staying with us and seeing him cry was painful. Emmett hasn't changed much from the kid I grew up with; he was always this big guy who showed no weakness. In all the years my family had known him he hadn't cried once. He didn't even cry when his parents died. He was sad of course, devastated even. That's just Emmett. So imagine what it did to my mother, the woman who would take a bullet for a stranger, to see this boy that she thought of as her own son, the boy who never even got watery eyes, bawling his eyes out and locking himself in his room for hours. It was killing her, and she begged my father to let him stay. Carlisle was resistant at first, for he was always the practical one. If he hadn't been I probably would have grown up to find hobos using my shower every morning before I went to school. Although he said no to the hobos he agreed to let Emmett stay. After my mom got Emmett to unlike the door, she gave him the news, and his tears dried instantly. He hasn't shed a tear since. He lived with us until he went off to college two years before me.

Emmett had always been there for me. Even before our parents adopted him he was my brother. I can't remember going through anything without Emmett somehow being involved. He was there for the fun times, the embarrassing ones, the ones that still piss me off, and the hardest times-

I tipped the bottle back again, but there was nothing left. I found a flask on my bedside table and threw it back fast, too drunk to even try and guess what was in it. All I know was it was the final straw and I felt myself falling asleep. Being so tired and intoxicated made my walls fall, and I found myself having thoughts of sympathy for Bella. Yes Bella, of all people. I remember Emmett's mother, and how she would always take on the worst jobs just to get them by. I remember my mother helping them out and always telling me how it was for Emmett's mother, raising a son all by herself. When I was younger I didn't understand, all I knew was Emmett came over all the time, and his mom had a lot of costumes. But as I got older I saw her struggle, and I started to understand. I realize I never will understand completely,

_But Bella does._

Yes. Yes she does.

_Thump, Thump_

_Thump, Thump,_

_Holy shit._

_Thump, Thump_

I started to open my eyes so that I could find the source of the noise, and destroy it. When I got my eyes open however, I shut them as tightly as I could and pushed my face back into my pillow.

_That's right Dickward, wakey wakey. _

I really had no use for my inner monologue anymore.

_Thump, thump_

I moaned as the loud thumping vibrated inside my head.

_Either get some Tylenol, or get used to it._

Then I realized that the thumping noise I sought to destroy was the pounding headache resulting from my hangover.

_Guess you won't be playing that big grand piano of yours today, huh?_

I sighed and pushed myself out of bed. I went into the bathroom and grabbed two Tylenol pills, swallowing them dry. I hung my head and took a deep breathe, bracing myself for what was going to be looking back at me in the mirror.

_What's cooking, good looking?_

I certainly wasn't cooking anything any time soon. I checked one my watches that was laying on the bathroom sink and saw that it was just about noon. I decided that I needed to shower before I went to get some food, because while the scruffy looked worked for me, I was sure the smell of alcohol that currently overtook my nostrils would piss off storeowners.

As I showered I was careful to my mind occupied, as to avoid a repeat of last night. I didn't think my body could handle it.

Usually after I get wasted all my thoughts and flashbacks from the previous night fade, but this morning I found that if I tried to remember last night, the memories came back with it. So I simply avoided it all together.

After my shower, I dressed casually in jeans, a white button up polo, and dark sneakers. I grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet before heading out the door.

I had contemplated taking a cab, but decided that I would walk. Sitting in the cab would give me time to think and remember, but if I was walking I could distract myself by avoiding fast-paced walkers on the busy city street. I walked with my head up, as you had to if you wanted to avoid getting run into, and I noticed several of the women I was passing slow down to look over my body longer. A little longer than I would have liked for some.

I went to a bagel shop I went to often and ordered my usual. A plain bagel with light cream cheese, one-fourth pound of tuna on the side, and a large coffee with milk. The shop was small, so there were only four small, round tables that faced a hanging plasma TV, but since it was so late in the day I managed to grab an open one. The TV was set to the local news channel, so I watched the newest bomb threat investigations and teen gang activities as I ate. Did they ever show good things on the news? Ever time I turned on the news I saw murders, raping, and terrorist attacks. But where's the two-minute segment on the young kid who saved a cat from a tree all by himself? But no, unless a kid kills someone or lifts a car off an idiot that got stuck underneath, everything else is depressing.

I finished my bagel without looking back at the news, not wanting to be depressed. As I walked outside I saw that it was a beautiful day, with the sun shining and only a slight chilly breeze. I ambled down the sidewalks simply enjoying the weather and peace of the day. I found a rhythm among the car horns, bus brakes, and mummers of people. I loved the city, while some people hated being so over-crowded and were freaked out by the swam of people constantly surrounding you, something about that constantly surrounded atmosphere made me feel safe, secure. I hated being alone. That's when I have the most time to think, when I'm the most vulnerable, when I'm forced to face the truth.

As I was walking I passed by a small ice cream shop that was filled with families and couples eating at brightly colored tables. I stopped and looked at the display window, noticing that some of the flavors actually looked quite good. I opened the door to go get some when I looked at a table toward the back of the shop, that was occupied by a little girl with mahogany hair and a woman with hair the same shade. I froze as I took in Ava's face. She didn't look like the devil spawn, no, in that moment she really did angelic. She was licking her ice cream with a huge smile plastered on her face as she laughed. I looked away from Ava and over to her mothers profile. Bella was eating her ice cream and laughing as well, looking at Ava and saying things that would cause the little girl to burst into another round of laughter. Seeing the two of them together it was easy to see how much they really looked alike, save for Ava's emerald eyes.

Looking at those green eyes was my undoing, and I wondered what Ava's father looked liked. I could practically see him, sitting in the spare chair at the their table, laughing along with them, his arm around Bella and his smile one of blissful happiness. The thought made my throat close up and I found myself taking deeper breaths.

Someone suddenly appeared behind me, mumbling an excuse me and I realized I had just been standing there holding the door open watching the girls. I quickly pushed my way out of the store and rand down the block, crossing the street and running down the next one. I ran until I had crossed three blocks then took a deep breath. Seeing Ava and Bella like that had made me remember two things. The first memory was of my mother, and as always that was the most painful one. I remember her sitting with Emmett and I as we ate out ice cream cones in the park everyday after camp in the summer. We would wait all day for those trips; I would always get the same cone while Emmett would try something different every time. That's how it was. I was the predictable one, the one that always had a routine, the complete opposite of Emmett who never did the same thing twice.

The second memory was of me in high school, when I'd had The Plan. I was going to become a famous composer and concert pianist, and travel the world by the time I was twenty-three. Then I was going to meet the girl of my dreams and we would get married and soon after we'd have our first child. This child would be the pride and joy of my parents. My father would try in vain to teach it how to read using his medical textbooks, and my mother would take it to the park everyday after camp in the summer. That was the plan.

_Yeah, the plan you made after they rejected your original one. _

I wasn't sure how much more I could take. I was usually good at blocking my memories.

_So what's going on now?_

I didn't have an answer to that as I walked aimlessly along the city streets. As I continued my walk I group of cheers caused my head to snap up in the direction of the sound. I looked into the window of a small sports bar and saw some big beefy guys sitting around tables, their heads in the direction of the television. Figuring the noise could keep me distracted, I went inside and ordered a beer. I sat down and looked at the guys. They didn't seem to be in here looking for a distraction, they seemed to be having fun, enjoying their lives. Why couldn't I just enjoy mine?

_Maybe it's because you're a sensitive pussy._

I racked my brain trying to sort thorough things. For years I blocked out my past, why was it resurfacing now? What had happened that could possibly make me remember?

_Well let's see, she's about five foot two, brown hair…_

Melted chocolate colored eyes-

_Would you stop with that sappy crap? Just remember what those "chocolate" eyes created…_

The devil spawn.

My inner monologue suddenly morphed from an annoyingly condescending voice to an image of a little person. A smaller image of myself. His mouth was turned down and his eyebrows were raised in annoyance.

_Damned kid._

Can it still be my inner monologue if it has an image?

_I'm not an image kid. I'm you except I have no filter. I say what YOU want to say, when you can't. _

Oh. So I was so messed up that my mind had to create another person just to tell me what I'm thinking. I wondered if that even made sense then decided to Google multiple personality disorders when I got home. Another cheer came from the beefy guys at the tables, and I wondered if their minds had turned against them as well.

_Just call me Essence of Edward._

I turned my attention back to the game. I could figure out what was wrong with my head later.

I was sitting at my desk in the kitchen, trying to put together theme music for a new movie about war. I enjoyed doing music for action movies a lot more because they were faster and usually more fun then the sappy romance crap.

_Dickward doesn't do romance._

I sighed. Unfortunately my Essence, as he liked to be called, had not dissipated as I had hoped.

_Nope, I'm here to stay Dickward. _

Great.

My cell phone rang and I answered it quickly, glad for the distraction.

"Hey bro, club in fifteen?"

I shifted the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I flicked out my wrist to check my watch. It was already late and I hadn't realized I'd been working all day. I looked over my sheet music as I answered.

"Sure, I'm pretty much done anyway."

"Fifteen. Don't spend to much time on your hair, I'm leaving on time and have no issues leaving your ass behind."

After Emmett's heartfelt parting I grabbed a new manila folder, placing the sheet music inside and using a fine tipped sharpie to write the movie title on the tab. I got up from the desk and placed the folder in the file cabinet that held dozens of manila folders. Each folder contained sheet music for that particular movie and were arranged in the cabinet alphabetically. There was an identical file cabinet to the right of this one that held the folders of completed jobs. That one was also arranged alphabetically.

_For someone who sleeps around a lot, you're awfully OCD. I would think that'd be a sanitation issue. _

That's why we'd always come to my place. My Essence got a smug look on his face and I looked around my flawlessly clean penthouse. Maybe I was OCD. I'd have to look that up when I researched multiple personalities.

I was dressed and ready in 10 minutes and made it to the lobby to see Emmett standing there watching his watch. He looked up when I reached and smiled, commenting on how I made it with thirty seconds to spare. I simply rolled my eyes at him and went outside to get a cab.

The club was relatively full tonight. Emmet and I were sitting in what had become our regular seat, the one in Bella's section.

We ordered drinks, Emmett getting something simply while I opted for something a bit stronger. Bella wasn't here yet, but she was supposed to get here sometime around six tonight.

_And you know this why?_

My Essence was sitting with vodka of his own, lounging in a chair staring at my subconscious with a smug look. He could kiss my ass.

Bella still wasn't here when it was time to order food, but Emmett insisting on buying an extra plate of fries just in case she brought Ava.

"This way she'll have a snack for when she hangs with us." He told me with a smile.

"There is no way that child is sitting with us." I would _not_ go through that again.

"Fine. You can leave then."

I sighed, choosing to ignore him. It made sense that he was that attached to a child; being a giant one himself.

We ate and made random chatter. We rated women on a scale of one to ten as they went by, betting on which ones would reject us or follow us home should we pursue them. Just two guys, hanging out, no children or shit to deal with. Not until later anyway. Just like it should be.

Soon Jasper came over and joined in our games. We joked and he told us about his plans for the club and how business was going. We made plans to go out together soon, somewhere other than his club.

"So Bella says Ava is really attached to you Em." Jasper sipped his drink while looking over his cup at Emmett.

"Really? Well why wouldn't she be? I'm pretty awesome." Emmett leaned back with smug satisfaction, obviously happy that the kid seemed to like him as well.

"It seems like you're pretty attached as well, correct?" Jasper grinned at Emmett with an accusatory smile.

"Yeah well, she's pretty charming."

"That she is."

I snorted and shook my head as I climbed out of the booth.

"While you two housewives continue your pow-wow, I'll be off doing something masculine. Just text me when you start debating General Hospital."

I walked to the back of the club toward the bathrooms, passing the door to the staff room. After doing my business and making sure my hair hadn't lost it's just fucked look, not that it ever had, I walked out of the restroom and was rounding the corner when the door to the staff room hit me in the face.

_What is this a movie?_

I rubbed my face and looked up when the door swug itself closed.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorr-"

I looked up at the sound of the familiar voice and suddenly I was drowning in melted chocolate.

**A/N So finals are over and summer has started which means that updates will FINALLY be regular. Once a week sound good?**

**As a reward for sticking with me even with a month's pause, I have already started the next chapter and it will be up in a few days, and then you will also get your net Tuesday update. **

**Before this chapter I was making the story up as I went along, which is why the chapters were short and crappy, but now I have made a plan that goes until the end. Reading back over my first few chapters actually makes me ill and I'm thinking about going back and fixing them. Any thoughts?**

**As always please review! A =) wil do, or a =( if you must. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: (Oppps, forgot about that in past chapters…) I do not own the names of characters in this story that are mentioned in the Twilight Saga. They belong to Stephanie Meyer. I do however own this plot, Ava, Davey, and other character not mention in the Twilight Saga. So hands off, or I'll report you =]**

**A/N: This chapter is being given as part of my promise to start weekly updates. Though considering the last chapter got TWO reviews, it is pretty undeserved. **

**BPOV**

"Davey! This is _not_ funny! You had better come out!"

I opened the door to the closet in Alice's front hallway checking behind coats in hopes that Davey would be there. Alice continued to scream threatening words at him as she rampaged around the house in search of her mischievous son. Davey and Ava had come to us a few minutes ago asking for ice cream and Alice and I denied them, reminding them that they had just eaten candy from the daycare. Apparently that response didn't fly well with Davey and he ran away and hid, yelling that he wouldn't come out until there was ice cream as he ducked into his hiding spot.

I turned around and saw Ava sitting on the couch with a small smile on her face as she watched Alice run around frantically in a fit of rage. Every time Alice would open a door or check behind a chair, only to see that there was no Davey hiding in any of those places, she would growl and yell and Ava would giggle quietly to herself so that she would not piss off an already angry Alice. At one point Alice actually threw the cushion off the couch she had just checked under and growled out a cruse word, which in turn caused Ava to turn into the couch and burrow her face into the cushions as she laughed. The bell like sound never failed to spread a smile on my face and I wished I could buy that song on iTunes so that I could listen to it always.

Yesterday had been the day that Ava had first seen the pictures of her father and me after our trip to the ice cream store. I hadn't slept very well last night, my dreams clouded with memories of my childhood. All the happy memories from my childhood that had become stained, as I grew older. When I looked back on my past I noticed things that I hadn't noticed in my child-like haze. The only upside to the night was that Ava had slept through it. I shivered as I remembered the nights that come around every once in a while, the ones where she wakes herself and me up with her horrified screams. She could never remember what the dreams were about and the pediatrician wrote it off as night terrors, saying that it wasn't uncommon in kids in her age. The dreams never haunted her during the days and she never seemed plagued by them for very long at night, so I was waiting it out for now.

I looked down at my watch and saw that it was getting late and I really needed to leave if I wanted to get to work on time. I really didn't want to be late after Jasper had been so good with the Ava situation. He really was an amazing boss and just a wonderful person in general. When I first applied for a job at the club, I had just moved into the city with Ava and needed money to support the both of us, or at least just her. I applied for the waitressing job, but I wrote on my resume that I would dance if needed in hopes that it would increase my chances of getting the job. I was being interviewed by a man named Laurent, who had worked here as a nighttime manager a little while ago. Laurent had tried pushing me to just be a full time dancer, since the tips would make me more money when Jasper came into the office. He apologized for interrupting and went looking for some papers as we continued the interview. It must have been obvious that I was reluctant to be a dancer and was simply desperate for money because Jasper had told Laurent that he would take over. After Laurent left Jasper asked me to tell him why I needed the money. I stuttered and stumbled over my words trying to make up some excuse because he seemed like a good person and I was afraid if he knew I was a mother he would not give me the job. He didn't believe any of my lies and finally I broke down and told him my story. He let me sit there and cry in his office until I had calmed down enough and then he handed me a piece of paper that he had been writing on during my sobs. On the paper was a written time schedule of different shifts and when I looked up in confusion he told me to write down which ones worked best with Ava's daycare. I stared at him in shock while he smiled kindly at me before I could actually make my hand move across the paper. He took it back from me and read it over before nodding. Then he told me that he could not willingly put a young mother up on stage and that my duties here would be limited to waitressing. He handed me a uniform and told me he would see me tomorrow night before he left the office.

I came out of the memory at the sound of Alice's screams and suddenly Davey darted across the room laughing. He ran down the hallway to the bedrooms and Ava ran after him screaming his name. Alice came into the room and sat on the couch, taking a deep breath and chanting, "Do not hurt him." over and over. I walked over to her hesitantly.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?" She said before continuing her mantra.

"Is it okay if I leave or…"

"No, no, go ahead. I've got this."

I wasn't so sure she did, but I trusted Alice and knew she would find a way to calm them both down or at the very least keep them safe.

"Alright, I'll be back later."

"Okay."

I grabbed my bag and went to the curb getting a cab and paying the driver as he pulled up to the club. I went in the staff door and signed in before making my way to the back to get dressed. I took a few orders and brought them to the kitchen.

"Hey Bella!" I turned around and saw Rose rushing toward me.

"Hey Rose, what's going on?"

"Can you do me a huge favor?" Her eyes were wide and begging as she crossed her hands and laced her fingers together in a pleading position.

"…What is it?" I was hesitant to ask because one time Rose had asked me to get her garter from the costume room and that was something I _never_ wanted to see again.

"Could you go into the staff room by the bathrooms? I left my phone in there and I have to go back stage and get dressed but if someone takes it I'll just die Bella. I can't afford a new one right now and without it nobody could reach me and if someone was to kidnap me on the street I'd have nothing with a GPS for them to find me and-"

"Whoa, whoa. Chill out Rose, I'll go get it." I held up my hands to stop her rant and she smiled brightly at me as she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much!"

"No problem, now go before you get the tattered costumes. You don't need to show any more skin."

She pulled back and raised an eyebrow at me. "Would it make that much of a difference?"

I laughed and pushed her out the door and I followed behind before heading toward the other bathrooms. I unlocked the staff door and went inside, digging through purses until I found Rose's phone. It started ringing and I was busy trying to figure out how to shut it off as I walked out the door. I swung the door open and it something with a hard thud before it swung back knocking me to the floor before sliding back into place. I heard someone muttering to themselves as I tried to pull myself up.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorr-"

I trailed off as Edward's head snapped up and his eyes met mine. We looked at each other for a moment and I felt the irritated feeling that always came with seeing him. I waited for him to insult me some more or make a rude comment but he just stood there staring down at me. He looked caught of guard, which was different from his usual cocky demeanor. I had never seen him surprised before and for the first time I saw something in his eyes besides the evil glint. I saw pain, which at first glance I blamed on the bump that was starting to swell on his forehead, but the longer we stared at each other the more I recognized the look of pain in his eye. It almost looked like the pain I used to see in the mirror all the time, the pain that I still saw occasionally. The pain in his eyes looked rooted so deep that I actually ached for him remembering when I had felt the exact same way.

"Are you alright?" I blurted out before I could think, and then blushed when I realized what I had said. I had been talking about the emotional pain I could see in his eyes but he must have thought I was referring to the fact that I had just attacked him with the door.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. No big deal." He rubbed his head and I watched as his eyes glazed over with the protective shield again. He reached down with one hand and I stared at it for a second before taking it using it as leverage to pull myself up. Only he had tried to pull me up as well and the force that both of us created was enough to pull me right up against him.

I looked up at his face and saw him staring down at me. I could feel his chest move against mine as he breathed and my mouth was agape at being this close to his perfect face. I pulled my lip between my teeth subconsciously and suddenly I could feel his hardness pressed against my stomach. The sudden change in atmosphere snapped us both back to reality and I pulled away from him and bent down to get Rose's phone which was still on the floor. I pressed a button to make sure it was okay and panicked when the screen remained black.

"Oh crap. Rose is going to kill me! I can't afford to buy her a new phone and now they won't be able to track her and-"

Suddenly her phone was ripped from my hands and I looked at Edward as he bent down and picked up the battery off the floor and placed it back inside the phone before snapping the cover into place and pressing the on button. I watched as the phone came back to life in his hand. He handed it back to me with a small smile on his face.

"That's usually a good way to fix it."

I gave a small, embarrassed laugh as I stared at the phone in my hand before looking back up into his emerald eyes.

"Thanks. I was never very good with technology, but I probably should have known how to do that."

He laughed with me and then the awkward silence settled between us. I realized that he was obviously making an effort to be nice because I knew that a ton of insults were probably floating around in his head right now. I thought back to the flash of intense pain that I had seen in his eyes and then remembered what Ava had told me last night, about how people were sometimes mean because they were sad. I had wondered if it was possible then but I knew for sure now that something must be bothering him and it looked as thought it had been bothering him for quite some time.

Steeled with my new knowledge I broke the silence.

"Having a good time tonight?"

He looked at me funny, obviously not expecting me to make conversation. He put his hands in his pockets and shifted around awkwardly and avoiding eye contact.

"Uhh yeah. It was going well then Jazz came over and started talking to Emmett, about Ava actually, and they sounded like pussies so I left and came here…and then you hit me with the door."

"Doesn't sound like a very good night."

He stopped the slight rocking motion that he had begun and looked up at me a bit sheepishly.

"It wasn't."

I didn't miss the hidden message behind his past tense and I was completely taken back. I wasn't used to this Edward who was…nice and to be honest it was a bit disarming. We hadn't broken eye contact yet and I was getting a bit lost in my own head, and his eyes as much I didn't want to admit it, when suddenly a large crash echoed from the kitchen and I jumped. With the eye contact broken I could think clearly and I realized that I should probably go back and check what happened.

"I should go see what's going on."

Edward had been looking at the kitchen and the sound of my voice redirected his attention.

"Oh yeah. I understand. You've got to work to pay the bills."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You work?"

"Yeah, I'm a composer. I make the music for movies and stuff…"

"Oh, that's pretty cool."

"I think it makes me a bit of a band geek."

"Piano is orchestra, and I doubt you were ever a band geek."

He smiled when I called him out.

"No, I wasn't."

I heard Rose calling my name and I yelled that I'd be back in a second without taking my eyes off his.

"I guess I'll see you around."

"Probably, I don't think I have had enough to drink yet."

I smiled at the reference to insane alcohol intake and then turned to walk back into the kitchen.

Someone had dumped a huge try of food and then stumbled backward into one of the huge alcohol counters in the kitchen, which is what had caused the crash. Staff members were running around everywhere and we all worked together to clean it up while trying to get food and drinks out of the over-packed kitchen area. Rose and I were working together to get the food off the floor. We were both crawling on our hands and knees with wet rags and it occurred to me that Rose was supposed to be on stage tonight and not in the back. I noticed that she had her own pants on while she was still wearing her costume top and I assumed that she had been in the middle of changing when the crash sounded.

"Why are you in the back? I thought you were going to try and make some extra cash tonight." I questioned her.

"I made a ton tonight. I went up there and this sleez ball in the front row was cheering and throwing me about a quarter of what I usually make form dancing all night. It was really uncomfortable because he was completely sober. I usually only get that the drunks. He kept trying to touch me and yelling these horrendous things."

"He ended up giving you all the money?"

She smiled a smug smile and shook her head before she continued.

"Emmett is here with Edward to night. Apparently he saw the guy going nuts and it pissed him off. He walked over to the stage looking like he wanted to punch someone, and proceeded to give me double whatever the sleez would. But this guy would just not give up. Then he started shouting something about me doing this for him alone at his place and Emmett glares the guy down, pulls me off stage, hands me six hundred dollars and walks me back to the dressing room where he leaves without one word."

I stared at her with my mouth open for a second before I shook my head and laughed. The whole thing was completely Emmett. The only thing that surprised me was that he hadn't tried to ask Rose out.

"He seems to be getting a bit attached. And very protective."

"Yeah it would seem so."

She tried to make her face look nonchalant, but I knew that he had done it. Emmett had finally managed to find the hole in Rose's armor. Rosalie was one of the strongest women I knew. She was tough and she didn't take anyone's shit. Like anyone else she had a past and that past is pretty much what made her so non-trusting today. She completely independent and was absolutely terrified of being codependent. She definitely did not need to be taken care of, but that did not mean she didn't like to be. She was still a girl and all girls like to be spoiled and Emmett definitely had the will and means to spoil her.

I looked over at her again and noticed something coming out of her costume top and smirked when I realized what it was.

"So, he didn't ask you out?"

"Nope."

"If he did would you say yes?"

…

"You would!" I shouted at her.

"No!"

"Oh my god he did it, he actually did it."

"Well it doesn't matter because he didn't ask me anyway. He was a guy and he was probably just trying to be macho or some shit. He probably won't even ask me out anymore. Either because he doesn't want to or he listened to me and gave up. Oh why did he have to listen to me _now? _Idiot."

"Oh really," I said as I reached over and pulled the business card with Emmett's cell phone number and the words "Come on Rosie, call me" written in pencil on the top. "Then why would he leave you this?"

She took the card from me and read it over before a smile graced her face and she squealed like a teenage girl. I laughed at her enthusiasm and she wrapped me in a fierce hug. When she finally let me go she looked up at the clock and reminded me that I was done for the night and had to go get Ava. I smiled and kissed her check, congratulating her on her new love and running when she tried to smack me. I grabbed my stuff off the floor and left to go get Ava from Alice's house.

"You get the limo out front."

_Ugh_

"Hottest style, every shoe every color."

I couldn't take it anymore. Disney Channel was having an "Every Hannah Ever Made" marathon and six episodes later I was going to sue them for my implants and my daughters therapist bills.

"Ava, honey, please turn the T.V. down."

"Okay!" She yelled over the sound of shrieking… err singing.

I was cleaning up dinner after working in the dare care all night. I had the night off and Ava was excited when I took her home instead of leaving her with Alice. We went to the park and had dessert before dinner, a little tradition we had for days off that she loved, and then worked up an appetite for balsamic chicken by running around the park.

I finished the dishes and asked Ava to find my cell phone in my purse and bring it to me. I heard her feet patter across the floor and her rustled through my bag. She came into the room still searching before she reached out and handed me my phone. Then she scrunched up her little face and reached into my bag, pulling out a wallet.

"Mommy did you get another wallet?" Then she pulled out my wallet and handed them both to me.

I scrunched my eyebrows together and opened the foreign wallet hoping to find some identification. Staring back at me was the smiling face of Rose on her driver's license. I realized that I must have picked it up by accident in my rush to get home to Ava last night. I checked the clock and saw that it was only seven thirty and tonight Rose had to work early, which meant that she would be home.

"You want to bring this wallet back to Aunty Rose?"

Ava's face lit up and she nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes!"

It took us about ten minutes to get our stuff together and head over to Rose's apartment. It was in the same building as ours but a few floors down. We could have been there quicker if it hadn't been for the lady that lives one floor up and her annoying little rat dog. Ava fawned over the dog and the dog bathed in all the extra attention. I could understand why, its owner was a bitch. It took us a good five minutes to get the dog to stop snapping at anyone who tried to pry it from Ava's arms and into the arms of it's owner.

By the time we made it out of the elevator and down the hall to Rose's apartment Ava was racing ahead of me while trying to not run in her excitement because she knew she wasn't allowed to run down the halls. She was waiting for me at the door bouncing around like she had to pee when I reached the door. I was about to knock when Ava grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door flew open and Ava and I both froze at the sight of Rosalie and Emmett in a heated make out session on Rose's couch. They were so into it that neither of them noticed that door was wide open or that a six year old was watching them eat each other's faces.

"Whoa baby!" Ava exclaimed and Rose jumped up which caused Emmett to be dumped onto the floor since he was no top of her.

"Ava…Bella," Rose growled out my name. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We, uh, found your wallet." I tried to apologize with my eyes as I explained.

"I think the better question is what were _you guys_ doing here?" Ava said with her hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised in question. I had to laugh because she looked absolutely adorable. Rosalie's eyes widen and she looked down and wrung her hands as if she was being scolded by a nun with a ruler as opposed to a six year old.

"We were kissing." Emmett said with a shit-eating grin on his face as he righted himself into a sitting position on the floor. The smile slipped off his face however when Rose reached over a smacked him across the head.

"Ow! Okay we were kissing _a lot_." A loud smack echoed through the room as Emmett earned himself another smack in the head from Rose.

"_Emmett_." Rose's voice held a warning tone and she turned her attention to Ava, a big innocent smile on her face.

Ava cocked her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips. She pursed her lips as she thought hard about something.

"Are you guys boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

Rose's fake smile fell as she simultaneously reached down to cover Emmett's mouth just as he had started to respond. She looked up at me with nervous, questioning eyes and I simply shrugged, though I was unable to keep the amused smile off my face. I knew I was having too much fun with this, but Rose was rendered speechless as often as she dropped her tough exterior, which was hardly ever. I can only recall seeing her affected a handful of times, one being when Ava went missing at the club a few weeks ago, and the other…well whenever Emmett was around.

Rose quickly glared at me before turning her attention back to Ava.

"Well…um…no honey…we're not…_dating_ per say…" She stuttered.

"Then why were you kissing," Ava looked down at Emmett and then added, "a lot?"

Rose wrung her hands again and cleared her throat. I really wish I had a video camera with me because this was a sight I would never want to forget. Anytime I get depressed I could just pull it out and laugh my way out of my funk. That could come in handy a harsh break-up…

_Who are you breaking up with anytime soon?_

I didn't really have an answer to that, but then I wondered why I was even thinking of break-ups and dating in the first place. I wasn't ready to date. It would just be to hard with Ava and everything else.

"But if you're kissing then you have to be married or dating."

"Well, no you don't."

"You don't?"

Apparently Rose had provided an explanation that wasn't considered satisfactory for Ava, and in her attempt to clear her name she was really just creating what would be a big problem for me in the future.

"But Mom! Aunty Rose told me that it was okay for people to make out when they weren't dating; so why is it not okay that I had random sex?"

Not something I wanted to deal with. Ever. In fact, I think I'll be looking into all girl schools when we get home.

"They are dating honey."

Ava looks up at me appearing very confused.

"But Aunty Rose just said they weren't…"

I had no response to that. But luckily I didn't need one because Emmett quickly intervened.

"That's because your Aunty Rose and I wanted it to be a surprise…but I guess it's ruined now."

She looks back at Emmett while understanding crosses her face.

"Ohhhhh…."

"But it's a good surprise right? Cause you know how awesome I am."

"It's a very good surprise!"

She smiles as she bolts from the door and into Emmett's lap and he laughs as he holds her and they begin talking about things that an adult should never be so interested in. After I few minutes I catch Rose's eye and tilt my head, hinting to her that I want to talk away from the children. She excuses her to the bathroom and I take her place on the couch, listening for a minute as Emmett and Ava talk about Dora the Explorer before I excuse myself and start to head down the hall.

I find Rose in her kitchen searching through cabinets. She turns around when she hears me enter and asks nonchalantly if I want some coffee. I raise and eyebrow at her and she turns to face me when she doesn't receive an answer. She sighs heavily before motioning with her head that I can begin my verbal attack.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"I made out with Emmett."

"I know. I got front row seats to that horror show. I was actually wondering how in the world you went from, 'He's a disgusting, ugly pig,' to almost getting it on in the middle of your living room."

"One: I never said he was ugly. Even in my state of denial I could never say that man was lacking in the looks department. Two: if you ever say 'getting it on' again, this friendship is over."

I roll my eyes and stare at her for a second before giving her a small yet smug smile.

"What?" She raised her eyebrows at me nervously.

"You like him."

"Obviously. I just let him shove his tongue down my throat, I'm not a common whore."

"No, I mean you _really_ like him."

She looked down and blushed at my words as she played with the handle on her cup.

"Yeah, I think I do."

I smiled at her before reaching over and wrapping her in a hug as we headed back down the hallway.

"So you see, Dora's parents are never around because her dad is a drug dealer from Colombia and her mom shipped her to America illegally. Trust me, she's got more than just a map in that backpack-"

"Emmett!" I yelled.

"What?" He looked up at me, confused, and Ava giggled as she watched Rosalie hit Emmett in the back of the head again. If she keeps that up she's going to be dating a vegetable.

"Mommy?"

"Yes baby?"

"Can I have a play date with Emmett?"

"Yeah! Can we, can we _please?_" Emmett chanted and laced his fingers together in a pleading position.

Rose leaned over and whispered, "I think your kid is moving in on my man."

I laughed at Rosalie before talking with Emmett about letting Ava go over to his house next weekend. Once the plans were set we all sat down on Rose's couch and picked out a movie. Emmett and Ava wanted to watch some ridiculous kid's movie and Rosalie and I quickly figured out that we wouldn't win the fight. Emmett ordered the movie while I went back into the kitchen to make popcorn and Rosalie went to get some pillows for everyone to sit on.

Halfway through the movie Ava fell asleep while leaning against Emmett's side. He had one massive arm shielding her small body while his other hand stroked Rosalie's hair since her head was in her lap. With both the girls passed out Emmett and I sat in silence as the kids cartoon played on. The six bags of popcorn were emptied and strewn across the floor, adjacent to the boxes of candy that Emmett had had stashed in his coat pocket. I knew Ava had eaten way too much crap and that tomorrow would have to be a sugar free day.

"So you and Edward talked for a while the other night." Emmett said, breaking the silence.

"Um, yeah. We did."

I had been thinking about the conversation a lot, constantly haunted by the pain that was embedded in his eyes when he let his shield down. As much as I tried I couldn't figure out why I was so obsessed with that picture of his face. It had just been so… disarming to see him without his signature cocky smile. It was disarming.

"Neither of you came back in tears. I'd call that improvement."

I laughed at Emmett and shook my head.

"Are we really so bad that one successful conversation between us is worth talking about?"

"Yes."

I sighed. I guess it was kind of sad that it was such a monumental thing. I had pleasant conversations with people all the time, multiple times a day. Emmett was right; the fact that I have only had one polite conversation with Edward was, in fact, pitiful.

"It's a good thing though." Emmett stated it as if it was a fact. I on the other hand wasn't so sure.

"It is?"

"Well, yeah. I mean… I know he comes of as a cocky son of a bitch-"

"That's an understatement."

He ignored me. "But he really is a good guy."

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"Well, I give him the extraordinary honor of being friends with moi."

While I knew Emmett was playing it off as a joke, I also knew that it was true. Emmett was a good guy, granted I hadn't spent any lengthy periods of time with him, but the times I had seen him he had always been nice. He had also managed to break through Rose's shell, which says something. Rose doesn't let people get close, but she's an excellent judge of character. She'll put you through hell and give you a hard time even if she thinks your okay, just because she can. So if she's letting someone get close with her, or making out with them on her couch, it's a ninety nine percent chance they're a good person. She obviously likes Emmett and trusts him to some degree, so he's okay in my book. He's also amazing with Ava.

Ava. That was the other factor. It's so much harder for me to let people in because it's not just about the risk I take. If I let someone get close in my life then they automatically become part of Ava's. Its one thing for me get hurt or broken hearted, but it's a wholly other thing for Ava to get hurt. She's my daughter and therefore my first priority, without a doubt. I have to consider her in everything I do. I know I can let Emmett in because he passed Rose's test and he got the okay on the "Ass Radar" that Alice says kids have built into them.

"Look Bella, I know he comes off harsh, but he really is a nice guy. He's just had a hard time is all."

"Everyone has hard times Emmett. That doesn't mean you can just channel your hurt into sexual encounters and obnoxious comments."

"I'm not trying to make excuses for him Bella. Believe me, I have had my share of heartache too and I'm not like that. I know that's not the way he should be dealing with things…but that's the way he copes. He covers it up, ignores it, doesn't face it and move on. Dealing with shit isn't always easy."

"I fucking know." I snapped.

He turned his head to face me with his eyebrows raised. I looked away from him and wiped the tears that begun to fall down my face. God damn it, I hated breaking down in front of other people. I know I shouldn't have snapped at Emmett, but he unknowingly hit a nerve that I wasn't prepared to deal with. One I couldn't deal with.

He must have sensed that I didn't want to talk about it because he lifted the hand that was stroking Rose's hair and placed it on my thigh, moving it up and down in a soothing motion. It was comforting and I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. After a few minutes I opened my eyes again and smiled at Emmett to let him know I was fine. He gave a smile back before helping me lift a sleeping Ava into my arms. He picked Rose up liked she weighed nothing and carried her down the hall into her bedroom, while I waited in the living room with Ava, as he insisted walking us back to our apartment. He locked Rose's door behind him and put the key in his pocket before unnecessarily taking Ava, despite to my protests and claims that I had the strength to carry her myself, and making sure we got back to the apartment safe and sound. He placed Ava in her bed and gave me a hug before he left, telling me to lock up when he was gone. I locked up like he said and then went into my room, dressed in pajamas, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**A/N: So I have looked over the old chapters once again and made an official decision that I'm going to be **_**REWRITTING**_** them. The plot will stay the same and as of now no new background information will be added, but they seriously suck. Which I find odd considering that all the suckish chapters had way more reviews then the last one, which was way better. Whatever. **

**In other news, I'm going to be away all next week so I will try and update before I leave on Friday, but don't get your hopes up because I'm seriously doubting I'll have time between working 8-5 and packing. But I will most definitely update when I return. **

**MrsEmmettCullen27 – no words hon. **

**So, REVIEW IF YOU LOVED ECLIPSE. Anyone else see it at midnight? Let me know along with your REVIEW. Seriously guys the favorite and alerts are not taken for granted but I absolutely LOVE hearing what you think. **

**Much love my darlings. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the names or characters mentioned in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga. The others (aka Ava) is mine. SO back the fuck off. Thanks =)**

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**EPOV**

The coffee house was dark, lit only by the dim, soft lights that hung from the ceiling. It was combined with the typical smell of coffee and the quiet hum of people chatting, laptop keys clicking, and book pages turning; and it created a calm atmosphere that pumped my veins with a furious rush of creativity that was just begging to flow out of my fingers and onto my blank sheet music.

Working in this atmosphere made my job so easy. As soon I walked in the room I wanted whip out a fedora and start writing, painting, or drawing. The only bad thing was that them music flowed so quickly most of it became scrap. None of it was actually good enough to send in as a final piece, but it could be used as an excellent base. Then I would go home and use the base to create my soundtrack masterpieces. Not to toot my own horn, but my stuff was pretty fucking awesome. The buzz around the music industry is that all I have the potential to win a Grammy. Imagine how many girls would be throwing themselves at me then. Not that I was complaining about my current situation.

I continued scribbling notes down on my blank book. I didn't like to use music books because of the lines. When I wrote in creative bouts like this I was in a rush and could never stay inside the lines, but if the music strayed outside the lines my OCD would kick in and I'd have to erase it and make it perfect. Then once the OCD got a hold on me it would take full control, and soon I'd be literally ripping my hair out as I erased each uneven line. I'd do that for hours at a time. Sometimes I'd go into the night and through the next day; not answering my phone, e-mails, only stopping if I managed to finish the perfect piece. Or until Emmett would brake into my apartment and hold me down as he shoved a Xanax down my throat. I called them OCD moments though my doctors use a shitload of fancy words that basically explain that it's a cross between an anxiety attack and an episode.

A shadow crossed over my sloppy notes and a southern accent interrupted the melody coming together in my head.

"I had been hoping I wouldn't have to interrupt, I know how moody writers can be."

I smiled up at Jasper and motioned for him to take a seat with a wave of my hand.

"Did you order?"

He held up his decafe cup in answering.

"How about the starving artist? Did he get his caffeine kick?"

I kept my eyes locked with his as I leaned sideways in my chair and reached my arm down to pull up a tray that held seven empty coffee cups.

"I'm good."

He raised an eyebrow at me before laughing and shaking his head.

"You should know better. All that caffeine will catch up with you later."

I shrugged and smiled at him even though I knew was right. He knew the caffeine did nothing but kick up my OCD and anxiety. Yet I still couldn't help myself. I've been off lately, which was actually part of the reason I had asked Jasper to meet with me in the first place.

We made polite and idle chit chat, talking about everything and nothing. Despite the caffeine and the impending topic of conversation I planned on bringing up, I found myself actually having a good time. Jasper always made me feel calm in his presence, he was easy to talk to and very alert to peoples feelings. Nonetheless as we started running out of harmless topics to discuss I could feel myself growing uneasy. My leg started bouncing and my fingers drummed on the table top.

Jasper abruptly stopped conversation and grabbed hold of my fingers, all the while looking me in the eyes.

"Is something bothering Edward?"

I pulled my hand back from his with a sigh as I ran my fingers through my hair. I should have known I couldn't fool Jasper; he has an uncanny ability to read people.

"Yes."

He sat back in his chair and put his heads behind his head. The picture of ease. He was trying to calm me down by making it look as though he wouldn't be bothered no matter what the topic I wanted to discuss was. It was working; I could feel my pulse slowing and my hands made their way down from my hair and onto my lap.

"Well go ahead. You know you can ask me anything Edward."

I stared at my lap as I prepared myself.

"I was wondering… how much do you know about Bella Swan?"

His eyes widened a bit and I had obviously caught him off guard.

"I've known Bella for about two years now. Ever since she came to apply for a job at the club."

"How could you let her work for you, when you obviously knew about Ava? I mean, it's just-" I was thinking about Emmett's mother when we were younger, and thinking about the things she must have done for money.

"Edward," He interrupted my rant. "Bella's not a dancer."

"She's not?" I started.

He looked at me as if I had offended him. Which I suppose I had.

"Of course not. You think I would put a twenty-four year old mother on the poles. I may run a strip club Edward, but I'm not some low-life pimp."

"Oh no Jasper, I never thought that. Really. You know I don't think that of you, that's why I was so surprised."

He relaxed as I spoke, his fears that people saw him as someone who preyed on young women put to rest.

"Edward, Bella had only ever applied for a waitressing position. She isn't some floozy whore looking for a way to make easy cash. She's a young, single parent that's looking to make enough money to pay for herself and her kid. She's a smart girl."

I made no response. Instead I sat there as this new information floated around in my head, while my brains processor attempted to make it form a straight answer.

"You know she works at a daycare during the day? She and one of her friends, I think."

Bella wasn't some whore-mom.

She wasn't white trash.

She was…

Smart.

_And you, my friend, are a dipshit._

I was disappointed that for once I couldn't argue with my essence.

"Emmett says that you and Ava don't get along very well."

"One thing I know for sure, that kid was not born from Bella."

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"She was born from Satan."

Jasper laughed.

"She has spunk."

A loud condescending snort came my side of the table.

"She's very… protective of her mother. I think she knows that none of this is easy for Bella, and while I don't think she has any understanding of the nature of Bella's night job, I think she knows that it's not something she enjoys doing. She's very perceptive, that little one. Not to mention incredibly smart and mature for her age,"

A flashback of her sticking her tongue at me as she walked away flooding my mind, and I had trouble believing Jasper on that one, though he did know her more than I.

"Besides, seeing the amount of time Ava probably spends with Bella and Rosalie, I'm sure your name has come up in conversation before. And if Rosalie was involved, I'm sure some cursing was also involved."

"I have no doubt about that. Bet Rosalie told the little brat to annoy the shit out of me should she get the chance."

"When it comes to Ava, if you hurt her mother, I'm sure she could do a whole lot worse to you."

"I'll be sure to sleep with one eye open. God forbid the two year old get anywhere near me." I rolled my eyes.

"She's six."

"Why does everyone feel the need to correct me on that? Is it that important?"

Jasper just laughed at me.

"It is when you're six."

* * *

I was sitting at home with a glass of wine and the pages of music notes that I had written at the coffee shop. I was trying to turn my nonsense notes into something of a melody, but was having a hard time concentrating. My conversation with Jasper was floating around in my head, taking up the little attention span I had left. It was just after seven thirty and I still hadn't written a thing.

_I wonder if Bella is working now. I wonder what she's doing with Ava._

After the conversation about Bella and Ava, Jasper and I relaxed into easy conversation and just enjoyed the time away from the stress of work.

I realized what an ass I had been to Bella now more than ever. If I let my guard down for a few minutes, I would even admit that I was surprised with myself. I had just assumed that this girl was white trash, a common whore, when that wasn't the case. Not even close. I had picked on and shamed Bella for working where she did when she was only doing it because she needed to provide _for her child. _

_I wonder why she had a kid so early. She's only like twenty-five. _

I remember how much I had despised Emmett's mom for not doing what she needed to in order to provide for him. She would go out and do all these horribly degrading jobs, ones ten times worse then what Bella would do, ones that I couldn't even speak of, and then she would go out and blow it on drug money.

_I wonder if her parents are around. I would think they would help her out._

I slammed my hand down on the table with a grunt, before using both of my hands to forcefully push the papers of music, my wine glass, and my reading glasses, off the table and onto the floor. After my mind caught up with my actions I froze waiting to hear the smash of glass as it the floor, but it never came. It then occurred to me that it never came because I was in the living room, and the coffee table was sitting on top of my lush, _expensive_, rug.

_My _white_ rug. _

_Fuck._

I sighed and let my head fall into my hands. I sat there for an immeasurable amount of time, letting random and incoherent thoughts float through my brain. I didn't try and block them out; I just sat there, numb, and squeezed my eyes shut.

Finally I decided I didn't want to sit around in self-pity anymore and pushed myself up off the couch. I dug through the scattered papers that littered the floor in search of my cell phone. I was going to grab my keys and head over to Emmett's place for some major distraction, or a breakthrough therapy session.

Of course when I found my phone, it was lying right on top of the red wine stain that was currently penetrating my white carpet, and my OCD, which was still running off my caffeine kick from earlier that day, refused to let me leave the stain as it was.

"God damn it."

I growled loudly as I stomped into the kitchen and reached under the sink for the Resolve that I leave in there for the cleaning lady. I brought it over to the living room and placed it down on the table as I collected the papers up off the floor. After putting the papers in order (the best work on top, worst on bottom), I sprayed the shit out of the rug with the resolve and watched as the form expanded on the material like a puffy cloud. Or a big ass marshmallow monster.

_Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!_

I have got to get out more.

After I finished tending to the stain I grabbed my phone and headed over to Emmett's.

Soon enough I found myself in front of Emmett's door when it occurred to me that I hadn't called him to check if he was free first.

_He had better be behind this God damned door. Or he'll come home to find it covered in blood, with my dead body laying in front of it, head perfect bashed. _

I knocked on the door with a little more force than necessary just because it made me feel better.

_I'm a very sick fucker. _

Luckily for Emmett's door, not more than a second after I knocked did I hear his footsteps pounding across the floor. It wasn't that he was stomping, he was just so freaking huge.

He swung the door opened and smiled when he saw me.

"Hey man."

He looked me up and down quickly and smile wavered a bit.

"You look like shit."

_Ah Emmett- always flawlessly polite._

"Thanks man, I appreciate it."

He opened the door wider as a signal to let me in. I ducked in under his arm and stopped as I took in his apartment.

There were toys strewn across part of the carpet, but they made something resembling a circle, almost as if they were being confined to that part of the floor. It was quite a collection to; I don't think I've ever seen so many Barbie dolls in my life.

I slowly turned to face him and he was looking at me with a half sheepish half amused expression on his face.

"Please, _please_, tell me those aren't yours."

"I thought you said we'd always be friends no matter what."

I raised an eyebrow at him in alarm, but then I noticed the infamous Emmett half smile.

I let out a big rush of air.

"You're playing me." I stated with relief.

"No shit Sherlock."

I went over and sat down in one of his lounge chairs while he went into his kitchen to get us drinks.

I picked up one of the Barbie dolls and examined it for a second. It was fucking weird. What does a little girl need to have a doll with such bit tits for? No wonder all these chicks are getting surgery.

I held the doll in two fingers by her hair before dropping her on the floor.

Emmett came back and handed me a cup of Jack and Coke before sitting in the chair across from me with a cup of clear liquid.

"Vodka?"

He shook his head. "Water."

I blinked at him a couple times.

"You have a collection of Barbie dolls on your floor and you're drinking water… on a Saturday night…what the hell is going on?"

"Well I'm no expert, but usually when you drink while your babysitting, them mother get pissed."

I sat in silence for a moment.

"But you know, this is my first time, so I could be wrong."

"Who the hell are you babysitting?" I said I stared at the Bimbo dolls on the floor.

"Why did that sentence sound more like, "Who the fuck left you with their kid and why don't they love them?"

I shrugged.

The phone rang as Emmett was about to answer, and he got up to go get the phone, placing his glass on the coffee table.

"That's probably Bella checking up on me right now." He left with a smirk.

I sat there for about a full minute before it finally clicked in my head. Between the alcohol and OCD attacks that were simmering in my mind, just waiting to be unleashed on Emmett's non-use of coasters, it took much longer than it would have.

_Oh my fucking God…_

I jumped up out of my seated position with a frantic pace.

_Oh my God it's in the house! It's here!_

I reached over and grabbed my class, downing the rest and holding the crystal glass out in front of me like I was yielding a weapon. I scanned the entire length of the room, looking for long brown hair and big green eyes.

_She won't sneak up on me._

A huge pounding came from the direction of the kitchen, which was behind me since I was making my scanning circle. I flew around and got ready to throw the glass at whatever she threw at me, when Emmett came barreling into the room. He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped when he saw my offensive position.

"Dude if you wanted some more you could have just asked."

I lowered the glass and shook my head.

"I was protected myself from the devil spawn. Why in the world would you agree to watch _that_ child."

Emmett's face contorted in a mask of panic and shock, and it seemed he remembered what he had been about to say before when he came in.

"Oh my God Ava!"

I looked down and noticed that he looked about ready to bolt. He had keys in his hand, coat on and shoes laced up. Maybe he's finally come to his senses.

"Edward I need you to do something for me."

"What's going on, Em?"

"I just got a call from the Hospital downtown, they just brought Rose in. They don't know what happened yet, but they think she was attacked."

"Oh my God."

"I know, and I'm so scared man. I _have_ to go see her."

"Yeah man of course. I can lock up the house after you go, or do you need a ride so you don't have to park?"

"No, thanks Edward, but I do need you to do something else."

"Anything man, what do you need?"

He looked pointedly over my shoulder and I slowly turned my gaze to follow his; then we both staring at the pile of Bimbo dolls. I slowly turned back to face him.

"No."

"Dude, please!"

"No!"

"Come on Edward! I really need to get to Rose! Look Bella will be back in a few hours and-"

"Emmet," I placed my hands on his shoulders and look straight into to his eyes. "I _cannot_ watch this kid for you."

"Edward, Ava is asleep, Bella will back soon. It's a piece of cake-"

"I don't think I'll be alive when you get back."

"Oh please Edward, she's just a little girl."

"Um that is _not _a little girl."

"Oh? Then what is she, a monster?"

I shrugged. "Close, both are of demonic origin."

"Ugh Edward."

"I mean, I don't even own a cross, if I had one maybe I'd feel better…"

"Edward!"

"Emmett man that kid is scary!"

"Well she's fucking asleep so who cares?"

I sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Edward, please. Rose..." I looked up and Emmett looked so hopeless. I haven't seen him like this since the whole thing with his mom.

"You really care about her?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Edward…the feeling I got when the hospital called, that feeling of…absolute _terror_… I- I've never been so scared in my life. I think I _love_ her, and I…"

I looked at him for a few seconds as he lost the control to form words. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay." I sighed.

"Yes! Thank you man, seriously. Look she's asleep and Bella will back soon. There is nothing more to it, just go watch TV or something."

He slammed the door behind him on his way out.

I stood there for a second after he left, trying to calm the fears that had taken over as soon as he had left.

_It's okay… she's asleep. You can sit here and watch TV until Bella gets here to take her home._

I sighed.

_She's asleep and you are safe. She's asleep and you are safe._

"Where's Emmy going?"

I froze.

_Oh fuck._

I turned around and my worst fears were confirmed. There was Ava. Dressed in some of those weird pajamas that go from her neck all the way around her feet. The pajamas were pink and had little teddy bears printed all over them. Her hair was in two pigtail braids that were a little messed up from sleep. Her green eyes bore holes into my own, and the teddy bear she was clutching seemed to glare at me.

"Uh. He went…out."

The green ovals became smaller green slits.

"Out where?"

"Uh. Nice teddy."

She blinked back at me. "Thanks. He doesn't like you."

"What?"

"He doesn't like you."

"Oh, and how do you know that?"

"He told me."

… _Schizophrenia__? _

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, he says you're a big meanie."

_Oh, I've heard about this. Little kids always tell adults their feelings through their toys…_

I knelt down to her level and looked her in the eye. She leaned back slightly and regarded me with caution.

"Now does Teddy really not like me, or are you just saying that because you're afraid to say that _you _don't like me?"

She blinked.

"I'm not afraid. I don't like you and neither does he!" She screamed and then she reached up and kicked me in the knee.

"Ow! Shit!"

"And his name isn't Teddy!" With that fond parting she turned and ran back into the spacious apartment.

"Ugh."

_You have a way with kids Cullen._

I stood up and headed down the hall to the guest room, where I assumed Emmett was letting her sleep. This obviously wasn't going to be as easy as Emmett had led me to believe. But I was hoping she would fall back asleep as a way to escape me and then I really could just sit back and watch TV.

When I went into her room however, I found the guest bed covers thrown back, the bed empty.

_Great now she's hiding._

I walked back down the hall while I silently cursed the kid in my mind. I was in the middle of a particularly long stream of curse words when I reached the front foyer and froze.

_No, dear God no._

I stood there for about ten more seconds before I burst toward the wide open door. I poked my head out, hoping to see her hiding around the corner in an attempt to hide me. Hell I would have been happy if she threw a bucket of pig bloods at me; anything would have been better than the empty hallway I was met with.

_Shit shit shit shit shit shit. _

As I leaned out the doorway more my hand grazed something stuck to the wood of the door. I pulled the little Post-It off and tried to make out the young scribbled handwriting.

_Dear Meanward,_

_I don't like you. So I took _PHINEAS _and we are goin home. _

_-Ava_

It didn't escape my notice that the kid didn't even write me a polite greeting. I also didn't miss the fact that Teddy's name was apparently PHINEAS. What six year old knows a name like Phineas anyway?

I looked down and saw that there was still part of the note I had missed. Apparently six year olds went through the letter writing part of their schooling already, and she knew how to leave a P.S.

_P.S. My mommy told me never leave the door open, I guess your mommy didn't warn you. _

The one little P.S. line froze my heart in fear and in a matter of nano-seconds I had begun to spin around, but it was too late.

"HAHA!" The door slammed in my face with a giggle and I could feel the locks turn as I tried to grab the knob.

"Ava! Open this door! I mean it!"

"I don't know… should I let him in Phineas?"

"Yes, yes you should let him in!" My plea was ignored.

"What's that Phineas? Yeah I don't think we should either."

"Please! Come on kid, whatever you want, I'll get you whatever you want if you just let me in!" Kids like bribes right?

"Hmmm… I don't know. I don't think I want anything."

_Oh come on. What six year old doesn't want something?_

I was about to lose all hope and brake the door down when I heard her voice come through the door again.

"What's that Phineas? Your hungry?"

_Oh come on._

"You want some pizza?"

"Pizza?" I looked down at my watch.

"Ava it's ten thirty at night, I am not ordering pizza for a six year old girl at ten thirty at night!"

"It's not for me! It's for Phineas!"

"When that bear eats an entire pizza pie all by itself I will buy it a fucking pizza parlor."

"Oooohhh. You said the _f_ word."

"Fuck, fuckidy, fuck, fuck."

"I'm telling!"

"Oh really? Telling who?"

Silence.

"Yeah that's right little girl. I win."

"Yeah well I'm still inside and your still out there."

"Well I could be inside if you would _open the door._"

"No! NOT UNTIL YOU GO GET MY PIZZA!"

"Ha! It is for you!"

"No! Just be quiet! Now I'm never gonna let you in!"

Damn. Maybe pissing her off wasn't the best idea. Obviously the try and be friends thing wasn't even an option, so I went for the next best thing.

"Come on Ava, this isn't funny. You'll be in _so_ much trouble when your mom gets home."

Silence again.

_When all else fails, threaten to tell Mom._

"I'm not so sure. She doesn't like you either."

"Yes that seems to be a Swan family trait."

She answered with a quiet giggle, but still didn't open the door.

"Alright Ava, I'm going to count to three."

A quiet gasp.

"One."

…

"Two."

…

I took a dramatic gulp of air, "Thr-"

The door flew open and whacked me in the head sending me sprawling across the floor.

_Oh fuck that hurt._

I heard Ava gasp from the doorway and I pushed myself up to see her staring at me with wide eyes.

_That little fucker._

My head started pounding as I groaned and laid back down on the floor. I stayed down for a few seconds before I heard her quiet footsteps pad across the floor until they stopped next to my head.

"Edward." She whispered. Her voice was close and I assumed she was leaning down toward me.

"Edward, are you dead?"

"No."

Silence.

"Edward, I- I'm sor-"

"_Don't."_

"But-"

"Just go inside Ava!" I yelled.

I herd her gasp again as she ran back into the apartment. I sat there for a few minutes before I pushed myself up off the floor and went inside.

This time I closed and locked the door behind me before I made my way into the bathroom.

_Ugh_.

Looking in them mirror I could see that I had a large gash on my forehead and I pretty good bruise on my cheek. I cleaned myself up with the some band-aids and was heading into the kitchen for some ice when I heard a whimpering sound coming from down the hall. I froze where I was and waited to see if I would here it again. I was just about to blame it on the head injury when the noise came again, only this time it was a little louder and accompanied by some sniffling.

I walked quickly down the hall and stopped in front of the guest bedroom before cracking the door open and poking my head inside.

"Ava?"

I was the sound of a whimper trying to be stifled from the corner of the room. I looked over the bed and saw Ava curled up in a ball, her arms around her knees, Phineas squished between her body and her legs. Her little body was shaking with sobs that she was trying to hold in, and her eyes were wide and scared when she looked at me when I called her name. As soon as she saw me she put her back down on her knees as if she thought that I wouldn't see her that way. The room was so dark that if she had been successful in her attempt to silence her tears I might not have.

Now I didn't like this kid. In fact, I didn't feel anything for her at all. But only a person with no heart at all would be able to walk away from the sight before me, and I know, because my heart is made of stone, and I still found myself moving toward the bundle of tears on the floor.

She looked up again when I got close to her, her eyes widened and lost the little control she had over her sobs, which were coming on full force now.

"Hey…"

I bent down and let instinct take over and I stroked her hair and brushed away her tears with my thumb.

"Shhh. Don't cry, it's okay." I wasn't even sure what It was, but the words just seemed to come out.

"Ed- Edward, I- I'm sorry, I didn't… the door…your head…"

"Hey, it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to."

She reached up slowly and touched my forehead where the gash was with her fingertips.

"Does it hurt lots?"

"Nah, I got a big head." I smirked at her.

A small giggle escaped her lips before it turned into another sob. This sob was significantly smaller then the previous ones, but it still made my heart twitch nonetheless.

She let out a huge yawn that interrupted her sob, and I looked over at the bedside clock to see the light up numbers staring back at me. Eleven forty-five: way too late for a six year old.

I scooped her up in arms, her head on my shoulder with her arms around my neck, and my arm around the tops of her thighs.

"Phineas." She mumbled. She had uncurled herself a bit during our talk, and Phineas had fallen from his body cage when I picked her up.

"Shh. I got him." I reached back down and grabbed the bear in one of my hands before taking her back to bed.

I shifted Ava to hold her with one arm while I used the other to pull back the blankets. It amazed me that a real breathing person could be this light. That someone so small could feel so bad about a little cut to the forehead, especially when she just spent the past hour keeping me locked out of the apartment.

I pushed her under the covers and handed her Phineas, whom she preceded to grab and pull tight against her body. Her eyes were already closed and her breathing was beginning to slow. I made sure the covers were secured around her before I turned and started to leave the room.

"'Night Edward."

A small smile made it's way onto my face before I could stop it.

_Definitely better than Meanward…_ _not that I care_.

"'Night kid."

* * *

I'd be watching T.V. for about an hour. Not much was on. I checked out Saturday Night Live. It was pretty fucking hilarious. Emmett's big lounge chair was the most comfortable thing I had ever sat on. Saturday Night Live had only been on a few minutes when I got a text from Em.

_Bella should be home soon. At hospital now. –Em_

_No problem, how's Rose? - Ed_

_Not sure yet. In waiting room. I'll get to see her soon though- Em_

_Hang in there man- Ed_

I put my phone on the table next to the chair and looked over at the pile of Barbie dolls. I had misjudged the size before, the pile only had three dolls in it, but the dolls were just surrounded by a million plastic shoes and miniature slut clothes.

I pushed myself of the chair and bent down next to the Barbie dolls. I picked up the little pink backpack that was next to them and started putting away Ava's toys. I figured that is Bella was going to here soon it would be hard enough to get a sleeping Ava home without having to worry about picking up the dolls.

I stopped what I was doing as I reached to pick up the last doll. Ava must have stopped playing with them in the middle of changing, because this one was topless. Her plastic boobs were way too perky to even pretend to be real much less attractive. I reached down and grabbed the doll by her obviously bleached whore hair and lifted her slowly before dropping her in the bag from above the opening. I felt dirty for looking at her. It wasn't her fault she didn't have a top.

"Sorry." I muttered to the bag as I zipped it closed.

No sooner had I got it closed did a ear-splitting scream erupted from down the hall.

_Ava._

By the time my mind caught up with itself I was already in front of the guest room door, but my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn't get a grip on the door.

The screams from inside persisted and sliced through my head and heart simultaneously.

"Fuck!"

I back up a step or two and pushed hard against the door, breaking the knob and one of the hinges. I scanned the room for something to kill, whatever was making her scream. But I saw nothing, no murderers, no rapists, no kidnappers, no boogie man. Instead I saw a little girl thrashing around in her sheets, Phineas strewn on the floor.

I ran over to her bed and put my hands on her the tops of her arms.

"Ava! Ava wake up."

I shook her a little bit and her eyes flew open, tears pouring down her face. She was breathing so hard I thought her little lungs would explode. She registered my face but pushed me slightly and looked around me, searching for something she didn't find. She closed her eyes and screamed again.

"Ava, Ava shh. It's okay."

Her wails continued and I was starting to panic. She sounded like she was trying to talk to me through her sobs but yet she couldn't form the words. She just screaming and her body was starting to quiver uncontrollably.

I jumped off the bed and grabbed Phineas handing him to her.

"Look, it's Phineas. See?" She clutched the bear tightly to her but her crying continued.

_Shit, shit, shit._

I tried to calm down and think, because if I didn't think of a plan soon someone would call the police. I looked around the room and saw again that there was nothing wrong, so I tried to think of what could bothering her.

_Night terror._

I sprung into action wrapping her in my arms and rocking back and forth. I started to hum a random tune, a slow and sweet one, with a melody that flowed like molten chocolate. Her screams lowered and lessened in power until they became sobs. It wasn't anything to have a parade over, but it was a hell of a lot better than screams. I might be able to save my ears.

"Shh. Quiet sweet girl."

She started to hiccup as she tried to gain control of her sobs.

"What's the matter, hm?"

"I-I want…Mommy."

_Aw._

_Aw?_

…_It was cute._

_Pussy._

"She'll be home soon, shh, don't worry."

"She was starting to relax little by little. Her hiccups continued, but they were less frequent now, and she was starting to sag in my arms.

I laid her back down on the mattress and handed her Phineas. She curled up in a ball on her side, her hands under her face, Phineas squished in her arms. She started to drop her eyes and I pushed some of the hair away from her forehead.

"How'd you know? What to do? That I was scared?"

I smiled a little. A sad one.

"I used to get the dreams too."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. My Mom would come in and calm me down." My voice cracked a little at the mention of Esme.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"She's a good Mommy."

"Yeah, she was."

Silence followed and I could feel myself being swallowed up by it.

"The Barbie Escalade."

"What?"

"You said you would get me anything if I let you in the house, I want the Barbie Escalade. That's all I'm asking Santa for Christmas."

"Why don't you just ask your Mom?"

"Mommy is always talking to Aunty Rose and Aunt Alice about money problems. I know she already has two jobs; most of my friend's mommy's only have one job. Doesn't that mean Mommy needs more money?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that, so I sat in silence.

"But Santa doesn't need money. He'll get it for me, cause it's all I want…"

Her eyes were closing on her again.

"Alright, good to sleep little girl."

She snuggled down into her pillow.

"'Night."

"Goodnight."

I walked back down the hall and crashed into the big lounge chair again. Falling asleep as soon my ass met the fabric.

* * *

I dreamt of Christmas past. Ones in my past of course, memories of getting everything I wanted from Santa, having a mound of presents sounding me, my mothers face smiling down as she saw my joy as more paper hit the floor. Normal memories. Only soon I the little boy was surrounding by so many presents that they had built a wall around him, protecting him from everything outside his perfect world where every wish was fulfilled. The little boy, the one that matched the pictures of my younger days, pulled out one of the present boxes, like his new Jenga game, and he covered his eyes a bright light shined through the hole in his wall. He bent forward and looked through the wall, as his mother's gaze grew wary. Through the wall he saw a little girl, with brown braids and shining green eyes. Only the green eyes weren't naturally shining, they were shining with tears as she looked down at her one present, the box as small as her palm. He looked back at his family, his mother and father laughing with Emmett as they all opened more gifts. He looked back at the little girl and saw that her mother was sitting behind her, and shock registered as he took in the solemn expression he had missed before. While the little girl's showed the heartbreaking child-like disappointment, the mother's expression was downright chilling. She was staring at her daughter with a look so melancholy I wanted to cry himself. As he stared words appeared on the mothers face, written in big, bold, dark black letters.

_I tried_

_I'm sorry_

_I wanted to…_

_I love you_

_I've failed you._

As the last words stained her forehead she opened her mouth and screamed the scream echoed across the walls and forced the little girl to cower with her ears covered. The inhuman scream was piercing and the little boy looked up as the present wall came crashing down at the sound of the screams, and suddenly the magical, happy world his parents had provided for him crushed him under it's weight of lies. He could hear the banging of his mother trying to burst her way through the millions of boxes to get to him, but she was nowhere to be seen as the weight of the boxes squeezed the air from his lungs…

I bolted upright with a start to hear the sound of the door to Emmett's apartment being knocked. I rubbed my face to try and erase some of the sleepiness as I went and answered the door.

"Edward? What the are you doing here?"

I froze as I stood and looked at Bella, realized I had no explanation prepared, my usually suave attitude slowed by sleep.

"Where the fuck is Emmett?"

I stood there saying nothing as I tried to come up with an excuse as her expression became more and more… murderous.

She peered around me and looked into the empty kitchen area.

"If you like your balls in their current condition, the next words out of your mouth better be something along the lines of, 'Oh he's bringing you steak on a silver fucking platter, he'll be right back.'"

_Brace yourselves boys._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: MrsEmmettCullen27= Goddess.**

**I'd say see you in a week, but who are we kidding. Two weeks at most, less if you're lucky! (I mean it this time) Review if you ever gave your babysitter that much of a hard time, if you ever babysat a kid like that, or if you want one of Edward's balls when Bella castrates him. **


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